A COUPLE who have shed almost 11 stone between them are celebrating by sharing some of their top slimming tips.

It took Leanne and Joe Williams less than a year to drop the weight, with Leanne losing more than four stone and five dress sizes, while Joe had shed more than six and a half stone.

And the pair, from Bewsey, say they not only feel happier but have been told how much younger they look since ditching snack food for more fruit and vegetables.

Leanne, 38, and Joe, 52, have been named as Slimming World’s Miss Slinky and Mr Sleek 2017.

And Leanne said: “I wasn’t eating at all well before and now I’m eating so much more than I ever have in my life.

“I eat apples like they’re going out of fashion.

“I love it and we have made lots of friends through the group.”

She said that cooking from scratch has helped her shed the weight and the busy mum of five boys revealed the secret to her success has been to make sure she has the right tools for the job.

Leanne said: “I love all my gadgets. When you walk into my kitchen it’s like walking into Curry’s.

“We got a slow cooker so I can come home from work and the meal is ready to serve.”

She said her Optigrill, soup maker, air fryer and vegetable chopper help her to create healthy meals for the family while working full time.

And finally there is an excuse to cut the crusts off sandwiches as Leanne said this is one of the ways she has cut calories while still enjoying a BLT for breakfast.

The couple decided to get healthy after transmission engineer Joe quit smoking.

Leanne said: “I would never eat breakfast, maybe just a coffee and some chocolate before taking the kids to school. I hate cooking for myself so I would just grab something to eat on the go.

“But when Joe stopped smoking he knew he was going to put weight on. He wanted to get healthy because his dad died when he was 54 and he worried that the same thing would happen to him.

“So we took the plunge and went along to Slimming World at St Gregory’s High School.

“I was dead nervous but we just fitted in and everyone is supportive. It’s a big happy family.

“It’s all about the food, I’m cooking a lot more.

“The kids never used to eat a lot of vegetables but now I can sneak loads into their meals.”

She added that she now eats a BLT or porridge for breakfast every day, with an omelette or salad for lunch and a proper family meal for dinner such as homemade pork and apple burgers or spaghetti bolognese.

And she said her skin and hair has improved since she decided to get healthy, joking that she no longer uses as many cosmetics. She added: “We just feel a lot more comfortable in ourselves.”