Age: 46
Height: 5' 5"
Start Weight: 10st 6lb
Current Weight: 9st 2lb
Goal Weight: 9st - 9st 2lb
Weight Lost: 1st 4lb
Working to Rate of Loss: ˝lb - 1lb per week
Slimming History
Slimming Magazine -
calorie counting, fat unit counting - got
to target and eventually stopped going - I think I realised it
wasn't going too well when I started stopping off at the chip
shop on the way home and looked forward to that more than going
to the slimming club!
Slimming World - 3 different starts - got to target 1st 2
times and then stopped going - put weight back on (plus more)
both times - 3rd time I gave up before I got to target as I
didn't think my heart was in it that time.
Cabbage Soup Diet - I was really popular with
boyfriend, family, friends and work colleagues during this one!
I lost weight quickly but put it back on as soon as I went back
to "normal" eating.
Atkins Diet - ditto the Cabbage Soup Diet story! I didn't
suffer any of the side effects associated with this one, and
really enjoyed it at first, but when I started dreaming about
bread and pasta I knew it was time to ease off! I lost weight
but couldn't sustain it once I came off the diet.
Kellogg's 2 Week Drop a Jean Size Challenge - You can only
eat so much breakfast cereal - I lost a bit in the 2 weeks but
it didn't last.
Boiled Egg and Tomato Diet - Don't ask!
Grapefruit Diet - Don't ask about this one either!
Have you lost weight before
and regained the weight?
The quick answer is Yes! As you can see from above, I have
lost and gained weight a number of times, each time gaining a
wee bit more before I decided to do something about it. I have
probably been slimming on and off for the past 25 years. My
starting weight above is the heaviest I have been and I got down
to 8st 12lbs on one of my Slimming World attempts, but I feel
comfortable around 9st - 9st 2lbs. It's keeping the weight there
that has been the problem!
How being overweight has affected you…
I am so miserable when I am overweight. I don't want to go
out or join in anything. I would make all these excuses not to
go out - it was too cold, it wasn't that good when we went last
time, there was a good film on, etc. I couldn't admit it was
because I didn't feel comfortable in any of the clothes I had
and I refused to buy bigger sizes. I would spend hours trying on
different things from my wardrobe, hoping that something would
make me look slimmer than I felt - most things didn't. I would
then go and eat something to make me feel better.
Most of the times I told people I was on a diet they would
say I didn't need to be, and that I didn't look overweight, etc,
but I had to do it for me, not them.
I joined a gym as I hoped that this would help me lose
weight, but a few months in I would have been as well putting
jam on my membership money and eating it for all the good it was
doing me! I just couldn't take to it at all and going turned
into a chore. I wasn't eating healthily and I wasn't going to
the gym so I cancelled my membership.
I had been walking around for months with the button out on
my work skirts because I couldn't do them up - Terry (my
boyfriend) and I like to go abroad a lot and the thought of my
holiday snaps filled me with despair. We had been in Ireland for
a week in May, and I could only wear some of the clothes I took
with me, as I couldn't get into the rest. My before photo is me
in front of the highest cliffs in Ireland - you can just about
see them behind my hamster cheeks!
Being slimmer makes me feel so much better about myself - I
like looking through my wardrobe now and getting dressed up to
go out. I look forward to my holidays, and despite what people
said when I was heavier, most have said I look better now.
Discovering Weight Loss Resources
Occasionally I would buy a slimming magazine in the vain hope
that by reading it I would miraculously lose weight. I came home
from Ireland and bought another one, and on almost the last page
was a small article on WLR - I went on line, liked what I saw,
and signed up for the 3-day
free trial. I registered for the full
service within 2 days and haven't looked back since!
How Weight Loss Resources Helps
I like the fact that I can eat almost anything as long as I
remember to put it in the diary. Other diets that give meal
"ideas" for breakfast, lunch, etc put me off - there's always
something I don't like and I seem to home in on these meals
rather than the ones I could eat.
I like that I can gain exercise calories for housework,
walking, and even sex(!). I did start walking a lot in the
summer (I have to admit that, at first, Terry did have to drag
me out) - I stay 2 minutes from the beach and 2 minutes from the
countryside, and until last year I had hardly seen any of the
beautiful walks I am lucky enough to have around me. I haven't
been out as much during the winter, but will start again as the
weather improves. In addition, when I first started walking I
would get out of breath very quickly, but now I can walk for
hours without any ill effects. Some of the walks do end up at
the pub, but at least I have earned some of the calories that I
drink when I get there!
Putting all the meals I intend to have during the day allows
me to see what I am having in each meal and to adjust portions,
etc accordingly to make sure I am within my allowances.
When I went to Slimming World the class was on a Monday night
- I work Monday to Friday and I like to enjoy my weekends so I
always hated getting weighed on a Monday night as I felt I
hadn't had a chance to recover from the weekend. On WLR I weigh
in on a Friday morning so that my weekend is at the start of the
week, and once I have enjoyed my Friday and Saturday and have
input those days in my diary, I can see what I have to do the
rest of the week to balance out my calorie allowance over the 7
days.
I love putting my results in each week and seeing the
difference (at my lightest I had lost 21lbs and 12 inches,
although I have fluctuated a wee bit over Christmas) - I don't
even mind (too much!) when I put on as I can usually see why. I
like to see the wee graph, especially when it is on a downward
or straight trend!
The message boards are a great source of inspiration and
support. I try to look in at least once a day - some of the
posts make me laugh and some almost make me cry, they can be so
sad, but they always get a supportive response from other
members. I don't post too often but when I do there is always
someone ready to respond with a friendly word - even when I say
that I have put weight on nobody is condescending or
patronising, just full of encouragement and help.
When I got to my target weight I signed up for the next six
months to keep me motivated - I have had a holiday at the Munich
Beer Festival and enjoyed a great Christmas and New Year since
then. I put on weight both times but just logged back into WLR
and started again.
The Best of Weight Loss Resources
See above - I try to use the food diary every day, the
exercise diary when I have anything to put in it (!), and look
at the advice and support message board every day. I like to
read the new success stories, and the
reviews of the different
diets, foods and exercise plans. I feel the site is like a good
magazine you can pick up whenever you like and you will always
find something of interest you never noticed the first time you
read it.
Deirdre's Slimming Tips
Be honest and enter everything in your food diary. Don't tell
yourself you can't have anything - it will just make you want it
more! Remember you are on a healthy eating plan, not a diet.
Try to complete the diary every day if you can - it will keep
you focused, but try not to let slimming rule your life. I
work and save hard all year to have my holidays and I enjoy
myself when I am away. I know that I will probably put on weight
but I also know I will get back on track when I get back.
If you are not sure about anything, or something is bothering
you, ask on the message boards - remember everybody here is in
the same boat and have either "been there or done that" and can
offer help and support. Don't forget to put good news on too -
we all like to share it.
Don't give up just because you have had one bad day -
everybody is entitled to one every now and again - we are only
human, after all! Log it in your diary, put it down to
experience, and move on - you will catch up on yourself.
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