Maria's Calorie Counting Success Story
Becoming more health conscious has motivated Maria to change
her eating habits, exercise more and lose 39lbs.
Age: 39
Height: 5' 4½"
Start Weight: 12st (168lb)
Current Weight: 9st 3lb (129lb)
Goal Weight: 9st 3lb (129lb)
Weight Lost: 2st 11lb (39lb)
Working to Rate of Loss: 1/2lb a week
Dieting History
I’ve tried the Cambridge diet which didn’t work as I was too
hungry. Herbalife also didn’t work; too hungry. On Atkins I ate
too much as there was no limit to what you could eat of the
right things. On Slimming World I ate too much of the free
foods. Weight Watchers did work to an extent.
Have you lost weight before and regained the weight?
I started to get slightly overweight around the age of 10 or
11. Although I was very active in my spare time (I cycled
everywhere and was always quite active out in the fresh air) I
didn’t like to participate in sports at school. I think mainly
because I wasn’t very good, and because I was a bit overweight.
It was a vicious circle in a way (feeling too fat to do sports,
therefore gaining more weight) and so I got more overweight as
the time went on. I’ve always had a bit of a sweet tooth too, so
this didn’t help as I got more independent and could go to the
shops on my own.
In puberty, I put on a bit more weight and by the time I was
15, I weighed nearly 145 lb. That was around the time I went on
my first diet (by just eating less). By the age of 17-18 I was a
normal weight. Then I spent 9 months in the US and when I came
back I was 160 lb! All those super-sized portions and very
little exercise meant I had gained 24 lb in just 9 months!!!
A few years later I decided to lose weight, so I went on a
calorie-controlled diet (without exercise) for about 6 months
and got down to a healthy 136 lb. For the next few years I
hovered between 140 and 150 lb, still doing no exercise. When
the weight started creeping up again, I went on a
calorie-controlled diet again – this time incorporating
exercise, and in just 3 months of starvation and exercise I got
down to 135 lb and stayed there for about a year. I was about 29
years old by this time.
Then I met my future husband and all those cosy evenings at
home together meant that the weight started creeping up again.
Again, I was doing no exercise and before I knew it I was 150 lb
again. We decided to get married and I starved myself again for
a while, to get down to about 134 lb just in time for the
wedding. After that, I relaxed again and got back to 150 lb in
no time.
Then I got pregnant and had my first baby at the age of 34,
after which I weighed 168 lb! I stayed this weight for a year,
blaming it first on breastfeeding, then on whatever I could come
up with (no time to diet, too hard to diet having to work full
time plus taking care of a baby - you name it I blamed it!).
After a year, I hired a personal trainer and got into
running, and lost a lot of weight this way. Then I got pregnant
for the second time and the same thing happened – 168 lb! This
time I knew that running would help, and I also joined Weight
Watchers to lose the weight quicker and in a healthy way. I got
down to about 147 lb with Weight Watchers but the rest of the
weight wouldn’t shift. I think I have a big problem with any
programme that has any “free” food – I’ll take advantage of this
and eat too much of it, even if it is only vegetables!
After trying Slimming World and Atkins (briefly), I finally
discovered WLR and decided that this was the way to go. I knew
calorie-counting had worked for me in the past (although I had
starved myself and not done it properly), so I decided to give
WLR a go. I joined in October 2005 and set the weight loss to
1/2 lb a week, to be able to do it sensibly and without
“suffering” too much. Since then, I managed to lose the rest of
my weight and got to my goal weight of 129 lb on 19 May.
How being overweight has affected you…
Being overweight has at times stopped me from participating in sports
(embarrassment factor) and from wearing what I like (tank tops,
bikinis, shorts, etc). The weight has ALWAYS been at the back of my
mind, even in daily things, finding clothes that would slim me, or
just doing normal things that people do on a daily basis. I’ve always
been concerned about how I look to others and I’ve always felt very
self-conscious and compared myself to my thinner friends, wishing I
looked like them.
Motivation to Diet
My main reason for wanting to lose weight was to be able to
wear anything I like. I love shopping and absolutely love
wearing new clothes especially when they fit properly and look
good! I have a job where it’s quite important that I look smart,
and this is definitely easier done when you are slim.
In the past 2 or 3 years, I’ve also become a lot more
health-conscious and I’ve educated myself regarding eating
healthily and how exercise benefits a person. I’m really
interested in nutrition and exercise, and the more I know, the
more I think about what I actually put into your body and how it
will affect me.
I’m a very keen runner now too, and the more weight I’ve
lost, the faster and more efficient I’ve become at running, and
it’s such a fantastic feeling, especially since I was never a
sporty person when I was younger.
Discovering Weight Loss Resources
It was actually my husband who discovered WLR. We started
doing it together in October 2005, and he has also lost a couple
of stone by calorie-counting. He is different to me though, and
has always been very active, so he really didn’t have much of a
problem with his weight – it just means that now he’s super-fit,
and super-lean.
How Weight Loss Resources Helps
WLR is really great, because it’s easy to use and nearly all the
foods I eat are in the database. If they’re not, all you have to do is
ask and they’ll be added. Fantastic! I also love the message boards,
where you can get help and inspiration from the other members. People
like to share their stories, their recipes and other ideas. The WLR
helpteam is also on the boards, and very quick to offer advice and
support to anyone who needs it.
The Best of Weight Loss Resources
I use the food diary and I like to see the breakdown of what
I’ve had (how much protein, carbohydrates, fat and alcohol).
Since starting to use the food diary, I’ve also found that I’ve
got used to estimating how many calories different foods and
drink have, which is really useful at times when I don’t have
access to a computer for whatever reason.
I also use the WLR message boards regularly and find it such
a source of inspiration! People are incredibly friendly and
supportive, and since everyone is there for more or less the
same reason, you get the understanding that you may not always
get from family or friends especially if they’re thin!
Maria's Calorie Counting Tips
My best tip is to fill in the food diary and analyse what you
are putting into your mouth. You can learn a lot about healthy
eating this way; I have come to a completely different
understanding of my body’s needs through using the food diary
and really looking at the nutritional breakdowns.
My 2nd best tip is to use the message boards – this has
really helped me to keep going at times when I wanted to give
up. I also particularly like the “food ideas” board where you
can ask for tips on how to cook something, or what to have for
dinner if all you have is 200 calories left, or whatever else
you are wondering. Fantastic!
My 3rd best tip is to stay with WLR after hitting goal, to
get used to maintenance. I’m finding maintenance really hard and
the food diary is vital for me to keep on track. Hopefully I’ll
get used to maintaining this healthy weight soon. |
