A SLIMMING class run by a Rubery woman proved to be just what the doctor ordered for one mum who, through weight loss and exercise, discovered she had fibroids.

Beverley Brookes, from Bromsgrove Road, Romsley, started at Paula Hooper's Slimming World class in Our Lady's Church Hall, Rubery, in January and stuck rigidly to the plan together with a step class and quickly lost weight.

By April she had lost two stone, but hadn't reduced a dress size because her stomach was still big. After seeing her doctor, Beverley was quickly diagnosed with fibroids, even though she had no symptoms.

She was then admitted to hospital for a full hysterectomy.

Beverley said: "I still need to lose a little more weight, but I am more than happy at the moment and would never have known about the fibroids if I had not lost weight in the first place. So thank you Paula."

The problem started in 2004 after Beverley was looking at holidays snaps from a trip to Mexico.

At 47 she said she was desperately overweight - weighing nearly 15 stone and only 5ft 2ins tall. Her children had also spoken to her husband, Rob, saying how worried they were. She had trouble with any kind of exercise, even walking up stairs.

"I had slowly put on weight over the previous five years. We had moved into a bungalow, which needed restoring and had no kitchen for nine months which meant eating out or takeaways and this continued after it was completed.

"I had an office job with no exercise and apart from housework did nothing else. I tried to diet myself, but usually this lasted a couple of days. I knew what I had to do, but did not have the will-power to stick to it."

This was when Beverley and daughter, Becki, enrolled in Paula's Slimming World class.

At the beginning the weight came off slowly and Beverley had soon lost a stone in weight, but had not gone down a dress size.

By Christmas last year she had not lost any more weight, clothes were still tight and to top it off she had started to menopause. It was only after her concerted effort at the start of the year that the weight started to come off and the fibroids problem was discovered.

Paula Hooper, from New Road, Rubery, who runs the group, said: "I am so pleased that I have been able to help Beverley through Slimming World, not only lose over four stone in weight, but also to identify a hidden health issue of fibroids that may have gone undiscovered."

Paula's classes are on Mondays at 10am at the Beacon Church Centre in Whetty Lane, Rubery, and Wednesdays at 5.30pm at Catshill village hall, in Golden Cross Lane, Catshill. For details on classes contact Paula Hooper on 0121 243 1212.