Age: 37
Height: 161cm (5' 3")
Start Weight: 68kg (10st 10lb) (but have been heavier)
Current Weight: 57kg (9st)
Goal Weight: 58kg (9st 2lb)
Weight Lost: 11kg (1st 10lb)
Working to Rate of Loss: 1kg (2lb) per week
Dieting History
Lots.
When I was younger (a lot younger) I would simply stop eating
for as long as it took when I needed to lose weight. I would
severely restrict my calories, starve myself for a couple of
weeks and things were good (or so I thought).
The most success (other than WLR!) I’ve had is
Weight Watchers. However, the weight always managed to find its way
back on. I like the fact that WLR quite clearly shows how many
calories have been eaten for the day and how many more you still
have left.
Besides that I have also tried heaps of the different meal
substitute type diets. You know the ones. You drink a powdered
drink to replace the various meals you should be having.
Have you lost weight before and regained the weight?
Heaps and heaps of times! It’s what I do best!!!
How being overweight has affected you…
I’m not sure that my weight has ever really stopped me doing
things. However, I think it is more about my perception of me. I
hate myself carrying around the extra weight especially in
things like photos that you have to remind yourself of important
events. I hate that I have photos of fun times that I really
can’t look at because all I see is the ‘fat’ me.
Motivation to Diet
This time around it was a trip to Fiji. A week on a tropical
island sunbaking is a very big motivation to get the weight off!
Obviously a week wearing togs and shorts is easier without all
the additional weight and I also wanted to look good in the
photos after the trip. An unexpected trip to New Zealand early
in 2006 is added motivation to keep the weight off.
I started my ‘diet’ in June knowing that I had 6 months to
get the weight off slowly and safely. The problem is without the
discipline of something like the WLR diary it was too easy to
be naughty and write it off until tomorrow. I didn’t take off
any weight until September when I decided to get really hard
with myself and found WLR. At this stage I knew that if I didn’t
start taking it off it was going to be there for my Christmas
Fiji trip.
Discovering Weight Loss Resources
I was surfing one day looking for a site that would explain
how many calories a day I would need to start losing weight and
give me some diet ideas. I put in “calorie counter” and it came
back with WLR. The promise of signing up without any credit card
details was tempting and it took about half a day to decide to
sign up for 3 months.
How Weight Loss Resources Helps
I love the diary. I think it really helps to show how many
calories you are eating each day. It’s interesting to note that
some foods can be up to ¼ of your daily allowance (sometimes
more) especially when you are only on 1100 calories a day. The
diary keeps me honest so instead of saying “Oh one little one
won’t hurt” the diary shows me if I can ‘afford’ to eat a
certain food or not. Many a time I have put something back
because the calories just aren’t worth it! It’s also helpful to
know that calories can be ‘banked’. Whereas before, one slip in
my diet and I would throw in the towel and start again tomorrow
I am now thinking of how the added calories will affect
tomorrow’s allowance i.e. I can keep stuffing my face but those
calories will still be there tomorrow. Now I draw a line under
the slip up and work to rectify it with exercise or by being
careful for the rest of the week.
Keeping the diary also means that I know if I can ‘afford’ a
treat and so I eat without the feelings of guilt that I usually
have. Prior to this when I ate something ‘naughty’ I would feel
that I had put all the weight back on which is really silly
cause one slip up doesn’t equate to a 10kg gain. Now I can see
where the treats fit into the eating plan.
The Best of Weight Loss Resources
When I first started I only used the diary to keep track of
my calories. It wasn’t until after the second week that I really
discovered the message boards. Originally I didn’t think they
were for me but now I am hooked. The time difference between the
UK and Australia means that I can log on in the morning as soon
as I get up and devour the conversation over my breakfast. I
stayed quiet for a while but everyone is so fantastic that I
can’t resist throwing in my 2 cents worth now and then. I think
the support that the message board provides really helps you to
stay motivated. There are some really knowledgeable people on
the boards who always have an answer to any question.
Katrina's Dieting Tips
I know it’s been said before but I really think that the
diary is the key to success. At first it can be really time
consuming but once the foods are entered into your favourites it
is a lot faster. The beauty of entering all your food is not
only that you can clearly see how many calories you have
consumed but it also provides many other statistics allowing you
to track information over weeks or months. I’m a person who
loves statistics and really enjoy being able to enter all my
food and then track what it is doing and how it relates to my
weight loss. I love watching the numbers every day (sad
really!!) but it keeps me motivated and on track.
Anyone can do this. At first the task may seem way too big
but reading other peoples profiles there are some amazing weight
loss tales. Some people have lost major amounts of weight so it
can be done. Stick with it, fill in your diary honestly and get
on those message boards for support.
|
