Age: 29
Height: 5' 6"
Start Weight: 87kg (13st 10lb)
Current Weight: 71kg (11st 3lb)
Goal Weight: 67kg (10st 8lb)
Weight Lost: 16kg (2st 7lb)
Working to Rate of Loss: 1kg (2lb) per week
Dieting History
I have tried most of the popular diets on the market over the
past 14 years: Rosemary Conley; Weight Watchers; a version of
the Atkins;
blood group diet; anti-candida diet; Little Black
Dress diet;
cabbage soup diet; cucumber and cottage cheese diet;
I am currently using the GI diet books in conjunction with WLR.
Have you dieted before and regained the weight?
YES!! Unfortunately this is the embarrassing story of my
life. My friends (who are spread to the four corners of the
globe) never know how to expect me when we meet, as my size
changes so frequently!
My weight has yo-yo'd crazily over the
past decade, going from 78kg to 63kg in the space of 4 months,
then back up to 72kg, down again to mid-60s etc etc. The
heaviest I have ever been was last Summer when I weighed in at
88kg (I think that's about 14 stone), and yet only 18 months ago
I weighed 70kg.
Worryingly, the weight gain is getting
greater each time I have an upward spiral.
How being overweight has affected you…
My weight unfortunately is a great determiner in my life and
can dictate whether I am happy or sad, sociable or reclusive,
snappy or easy going and so on.
There is a direct link between
my weight (and my perception of my weight) and those periods of
my life where I did a lot and achieved a lot (when I was "thin")
and those times where my relationships with family, friends and
my boyfriend suffered and I did very little (when I was "fat").
I am naturally quite an outgoing and sociable person, but my
weight can sometimes undermine this entirely. Although I do
not think I have noticed peoples' perceptions of me
changing according to my size, I would say that their attitudes
change based upon mine, as who wants to talk to someone who
obviously feels uncomfortable talking to them?
When I was at
university there were occasions when I would get up and feel so
terribly fat (even though at that time I was not), that I would
walk the 25mins to campus and be so distraught about my size I
would have to walk home again. I still have bad days but they
do not affect me in the same way as they used to.
I would never
avoid work because of it, but I do not feel comfortable going
out at the weekend to pubs or bars where I have to stand up, as
I feel conspicuously large in a sea of skinny girls, and I
cannot wear short skirts or hipster jeans which might make me
"blend in" because then I'd be the "fat girl in the tight
clothes"... So we socialise with our friends at dinner parties
and by going to restaurants mostly. I have not been dancing (I
love RnB music) for years, and that is something I really miss.
Motivation to Diet
My motivation to lose weight this time is that I am tired of
feeling different to everyone else. I am 30 this year and do not
want to let life pass me by. I want to get married to my lovely,
understanding, and infinitely patient fiancé in May and be
proud to be the centre of attention with him, to accept the
compliments without negating them, to have my wedding pictures taken and
to cherish the memories of a happy day - not look back on it
with regrets.
Discovering Weight Loss Resources
My best friend's Mum came across an article in a health
magazine about 3 years ago and passed on the web address to me.
I was a bit sceptical at first about an on-line dieting service,
but quickly realised that it was and is the best tool for
anybody who is serious about losing weight. Had I not been so
caught up in fad dieting over the past 3 years, with the promise
of immediate results, I probably would have lost weight and kept
it off with WLR.
How Weight Loss Resources Helps
It is very easy to underestimate the amount of food you eat,
and before coming back to using WLR regularly last September, my
portion sizes had gotten very big!
I love cheese and pasta (and
the accompanying red wine) and now realise that I was probably
eating nearly a day's calories in one evening meal... every
evening!
It is really helpful to be able to plan out my week's
food and exercise using the food and exercise diaries. I now
measure my food quantities and my portions are consequently much
smaller.
I no longer feel bloated after eating, nor am I hungry
during the day and forced to snack on rubbish, as my snacks are
planned in! I can allow for occasional nights off with friends
by upping my exercise and looking at the week's plan rather than
the day's plan to see how many calories I have "banked".
I would say the other great advantage of using WLR, which you
could not achieve by simple calorie counting, is the information
and support you can get from it. The message boards are
great.
If you are feeling that you are losing the plot, you just post a
message asking for help and when you next log on, there are
guaranteed to be many messages waiting for you to help get you
through!
Family and friends can provide a lot of support but
they are bound to get a bit bored of it (especially when it's
been ongoing for years!) but with the number of people using WLR
there is always someone there with fresh ideas and encouragement
who's really keen to help - and keen to congratulate your losses
too! I cannot recommend this aspect of WLR enough!
Although I am applying the principals of the GI Diet to my
eating, I know it is the guidance of WLR which is helping me
lose weight and encouraging me to exercise - when you can see a
direct correlation between how much you work out and how much
you can eat, believe me, you work out more!! I feel fit and motivated and very positive about
achieving my interim goal and my long term wedding
weight loss goal! I am also positive that, this time, the way I view food,
exercise and my health has changed for good. I have realised
that this diet is not a flash in the pan thing, it represents
the way I should eat and live for the rest of my life.
Emma's Dieting Tips
I have several tips for other dieters:
- Exercise as much as
you can, in whatever form, as it's good for your heart, a morale
booster, and helps shed the pounds - join a club if you don't
think you'll keep going by yourself. I joined a
running club
last year and I'm still going, which for me is great!
- Drink lots of
water, it keeps your body running properly and thirst can
sometimes disguise itself as hunger.
- Drink less alcohol, it's
not (always) worth the calories.
- Do use the message boards
because as well as keeping you going, they make you feel good
because you are able to help and encourage other WLR members in
return.
Bonus Tip
Whether you're planning your wedding, or simply looking for a
diet that works - try the WLR tools
free for 24 hours.
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