Super slimmer Katy is now 12st lighter

After dropping from 22st 4.5lb to 9st 13lb, Katy Isaac was congratulated by former Westlife singer Brian McFadden at the finals of Slimming World's Woman of the Year 2013 competition.

Katy, from Welshpool, joined the town's Slimming World group in May 2012 and earlier this year was voted to be the group's representative in the annual contest.

She won the regional heat, earning a place as one of just 58 women from across the UK and Ireland to reach the finals, which were held in Birmingham last week.

"I'd tried losing weight before but I always failed miserably because the diets I followed would leave me feeling hungry and deprived, and so I'd be miserable, too," she said.

"I'd miss my favourite foods too much, so before long I'd have thrown in the towel and be back where I started. But Slimming World was completely different to anything I'd known before. I didn't have to go hungry and I've never once felt like I'm missing out on anything.

"The changes I made to the way I cooked and ate were small ones, like swapping white bread for wholemeal and using low calorie spray instead of oil or butter, but they made a big difference. They meant I could still enjoy all my favourites and lose weight. It was great to be able to eat the same as my family and friends instead of having to have a separate diet dinner, too, so they've benefited from eating more healthily without even trying."

As one of the final 10 of the competition Katy had the chance to meet Brian, who helped the super slimmers celebrate their achievements.

He said: "What she's done is nothing short of incredible. It's never too late to try something different and Katy is proof of that, too. By making changes to her eating habits and getting active she's obviously completely changed her life – and she looks great on it."

Heather Robertson, who runs the Welshpool group, said: "Katy doesn't only look great on the outside; she's a new woman on the inside, too. Nowadays she's unrecognisable from the shy, unhappy woman who walked into the group all those months ago.

"She's happier, healthier and more confident, and her success is contagious as she's inspired so many other people in the group."

Slimline Katy shares her top tips for weight loss success:

• Small changes can make a big difference, like swapping white bread for wholemeal

• Using low calorie spray instead of oil or butter meant I could still enjoy dishes like roast dinners or a full English breakfast and lose weight

• Don’t skip meals

• Exercise more, but that doesn’t mean you have to join a gym – it could be walking, cycling, swimming, gardening, dancing or using exercise games on the Wii

• Swap crisps and chocolate snacks for fresh fruit and low-calorie hot chocolate

• Join a slimming group. If ever my motivation did start to fade, the rest of the group were there to remind me how far I’d come.