Profile – Nicky

AKA "Nicky" on Weight Loss Resources

Dieting History

I lost about 2 stone with the Micro Diet, when I was 21 (very low calorie and horrible) and 3 stone by eating very, very low fat meals and exercising, when I was 30. After both successful attempts it all came back on again slowly.

I have also been with Weight Watchers and Slimming World. With both these clubs I didn't like the way I was made to feel stupid and I didn't know why I'd put on weight or how to lose it. Most overweight people know that they have eaten too much and not exercised enough in the past and that they need to change this pattern. With Weight Loss Resources you are treated with respect - as someone who needs an easy tool to get you where you want to be. 

On Being Overweight…

Since losing the weight I have increased in confidence and happiness. I remember this feeling from being slim and, although I still have a long way to go, this feeling can only get better! 

I am out and about a lot more now, and no longer putting up with situations I don't want to be in. I have regained an interest in buying clothes and, though I am buying size 16 at the moment, it is fantastic to be able to walk into a "normal" shop and know that I will be able to wear the clothes they sell.

I also get stuck and plateau, and whether this is due to the shortening days of winter, or (as someone on the message board suggested) "smug feelings of having done so well", I don't know. But the motivation comes in waves now. Right now I am feeling very motivated - Christmas in a few weeks and then my holiday. I am also being sponsored at work with a few other people and we are currently on target to raise over £500 for Cancer Research.   

Finding the Motivation

I don't think there is anything specific (although I do have a holiday booked to Sydney in January!) When I began on May 17 - a date burned into my memory - a switch just flicked in my head and I was ready to begin. I was about to go on holiday, which turned out to be the holiday from hell as on Day 2 I discovered my partner of 6 years had been seeing someone else. Maybe that spurred me on. I came home immediately and booked the trip to Sydney. I used to live there and am going back to see the sights I love, revisit old haunts and stay with friends.

I also lost my father in March, after a long illness, and perhaps this makes me look at life in a different way. Thankfully that switch is still on in my head - although I'm not as obsessive about every mouthful as I was to begin with. But I know I can do - and I will!

Discovering WLR

I read an article in Slimming magazine which was very convincing and I joined there and then. 

How WLR Helps

It enables you to take control and learn about food. You get to understand where the calories come from, and how the different food groups differ in the amount of calories they give you. It makes life easy to plan, and helps you feel in control. One evening I couldn't log on and was about to cook something - but didn't as I couldn't find out how many calories and how much fat was in it. Instead I panicked and reverted to the tried and trusted frozen Weight Watchers meal! It's a bit worrying that I relied on it so much!

The weight report is encouraging with the graph so you can see it going down, and be encouraged when you aren't too far from the target line. It is also very sensible because it doesn't allow you to lose more than 2lbs per week. At first I lost weight very quickly, then had a mad social summer and slowed down, but I'm picking up again. I am very aware, especially at work when buying lunch, of what is in everything. Thank goodness for M&S' "Count On Us" range - a godsend for an office worker with a microwave!  

The Best of WLR

The main thing that the site has enabled me to do is be in control. I almost always use the Food Diary, and check out the Message Boards. On days when I have more time, I check out the other pages and always find something that I didn't know. I have loved reading the profiles - which was the reason I am doing this! 

Nicky's Tips

My main tip for anyone is to use the Food Diary as much as possible, and pay attention to the nutrition pie chart.

Check the Message Boards often - particularly when you think you are the only one who feels the way you do. The members are amazing, supportive and reassuring and it's a huge relief to realise that you are not weird, odd, alone or going mad because of how you feel about your weight or relationship with food. We are all in the same boat at some point and it's great to read the stories other people have.

Drink water - it really does help. One shelf in my fridge is full of bottles of water, and I always have one in my handbag. At work I top this up all day from the water fountain.

Walk up stairs as much as you can. You'll be amazed at how much this can burn!

If you have friends who are supportive, confide in them. If you have friends or family who are not, then don't go on about your weight loss with them - they will have the power to bring you down in an instant.

As you grow out of your big clothes throw them out or give them away. I spent a day doing this and keep it up so that I only ever have clothes that fit or are a little small in my wardrobe. The best feeling ever for me is seeing a wardrobe full of things that I want to put on. I have a couple of things that are a size 22/24 and it is amazing to think that I was once filling them. Try your old clothes on now and again and be amazed! Yes you can do it. I never believed I would succeed in losing weight, but once that switch in your head flicks on there is no stopping you.   

Finally

I was out shopping recently and saw someone I hadn't seen since before I began to lose weight. She rang me the next day to ask how I had lost weight, as she thought I looked fantastic and wanted to know how I had done it as I looked so happy. I know I look far from fantastic, but the boost that gave me was brilliant.

I know I probably shouldn't mention male attention, but being single, happy, confident and slimmer (and getting more and more slim) does wonders for a girl's life! You have the confidence to say no when you mean it and yes when you mean it. dating is truly fun again!

Nicky's Vital Statistics

	Before	Now
Weight	16st 7lbs	12st 12lbs