Penny’s Slimming Success Story

AKA "PEN1707" on Weight Loss Resources

About Penny

Married with 4 daughters 7, 3 & 1 year old twins. Stay at home mum. Love cooking, always baking cakes!!!

Dieting History

Slimming world – I had short term success, but was always eating pasta so not particularly varied diet. I found that I always stayed on Green days and so always ate pasta or rice. I found it quite restrictive when it came to eating out, trying not to combine wrong foods. It was never going to be a long term, healthy lifestyle using this method as you were on a DIET!!! The weight went back on as soon as you stopped slimming as I hadn’t retrained myself to eat healthily or look at portion size as, supposedly, you can eat as much as you want as long as it's free food. I ask you what is free food??????

Motivation To Lose Weight?

I was always a larger child and never fit, didn't enjoy PE, only netball as I was Goal Shooter so only had small area of court to cover!! Through my late teens and early 20's I hovered around size 14 and after the birth of my first daughter in 2001 I slimmed back down to a size 14 quite easily without dieting and within about 4 months. BUT... When I returned to work as a National Sales manager staying away on average 3 nights a week, that was when the weight piled on. I stayed in hotels, ate in restaurants each night, usually alone, and so began the spiral into comfort eating. I had nothing to do all evening except sit on the bed and eat!!!

The weight gradually added on and as I became more unhappy being away from home and getting bigger I began not to eat in the hotel restaurant but, instead, eat in the bedroom. I remember being so unhappy on many occasions that I simply ordered delivery pizza. Not just a medium pizza but, the garlic bread and the chicken and wedges box and pudding and would then sit in bed and eat and eat...

Writing this now I feel sick at the thought of what I actually managed to eat. No wonder I eventually became a generous size 20 and a hefty 15st with my horrific eating habits and total lack of any exercise in my life whatsoever.

In 2005 we went to visit my Grandparents in the South of France and looking at the pictures of me on the beach, I was horrified. I was a whale and nothing about me was appealing, I had lost all my sparkle.

After that holiday I began gradually to lose weight. Not by dieting but more through depression. I was utterly unhappy at work. I was disgusted at myself and had lost all interest in me.. But, as the weight loss began to show and I got slimmer I began to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

In October of that year I became pregnant with our 2nd daughter, she was born in June 2006 and once again I was a generous size 16/18.. At my 8 month check up I was diagnosed with post natal depression compounded by the sudden passing of my beloved Nana whom I was especially close to…I was extremely low looking back and will always be grateful to my wonderful hubby for his unending support…..but this tragic time became a catalyst to recover….

I began taking the baby out EVERY day for a long walk, regardless of weather we needed to escape the house and my negative thoughts and so it began… walking became power walking…became jogging….became 4 mile runs….I was off.

I suddenly had found a place I enjoyed and that gave me time to clear my mind….RUNNING.

As I began this exercise journey I also began to see it’s benefits to all aspects of my life and a major one was my weight. Scanning the internet one day looking for a calorie counter I found myself on the WLR site….

That was the beginning of Feb 2007 and by my daughters 1st birthday on 17th June I was in a pair of size 10 jeans….I felt fantastic, I had never bought a size 10 before it was amazing!!!

By the October my new body confidence had led to another change in my life….I was pregnant with…TWINS!!!!

On June 4th 2008 I gave birth to our beautiful identical twin girls…I weighed 14st 4 lbs the day before!!!… As a breast feeding mother of twins my babies took presidence over  regaining my figure…but I always had in the back of my mind could I possibly regain that sz 10 and when would that day be????

On Jan 22nd 2009 I rejoined WLR full of confidence that having done it before I could do it again…so at a weight of 12st 9 I began my journey. I recorded my food and exercise and began to run again…but times was always a struggle, now with 4 children I was struggling to find time to get out and run. My wonderful hubby was once again on hand and this time he had saved some pennies and bought me my new best friend….a treadmill. So now when the babies take a nap I jump on the treadmill, sometimes for 15 mins sometime for an hour it just depended on the available time.

….and there it is, recording my intake of calories, regular exercise and a determination to regain my healthy, fit body…..and here I am not just a sz10 but today in 1 of my 2 pairs of sz8 jeans!!!!….. Weighing 9st 9 and full of confidence.

…and the best and most boosting comment I have ever received about my weight loss was from my 7 year old, who thought that when I lost weight last time that was what got her twins….. She told me this time that Mummy was now slim again….but maybe another set of twins wasn’t the way to go and that I should just buy a new handbag instead!!!!

Why do you think WLR has helped you lose weight where other diets have failed?

Using WLR isn’t like being on a diet for me, I can eat and drink whatever I want as long as I account for the calories in them. As my husband had told me for years….“calories in calories out”, but with WLR something clicked for me and if I fancied a slice of one of my cakes I could have it!!!

I used the food bata base to record my own recipies and so could add a slice of cake into my food diary and know I wasn’t guessing at the calories… and if the odd glass of wine passed my lips, no problem that’s where the exercise was not only getting me fit, but also adding calories to my daily allowance.

The restaurant section was also a great resource, if we were off for an Indian with friends I would just look through the list of average calories for items and make my choice accordingly…no one we were out with would know I was watching my calorie intake as I would simply order and having already worked out the healthier options before there was no fuss.

I also contributed and read the forums, this was a great place to be and give support to other member. Knowing other people were also succeeding is a huge motivator for me and that’s what I wanted to be a success.

What do you love about your body now?

Where do I start??????
I look in the mirror now and think wow, this is me! My oldest girl notices the changes in me most of all my children as at 7 she has seen me at my heaviest and now as a slim, fit, healthy mum who joins in at the mums’ netball game!!!

This last couple of months have seen us celebrating many things - a 3rd birthday, the twins’ 1st birthday, a first communion and 3 weddings..and to all of these I have worn an outfit I felt confident in and was happy to be photographed in.

My husband has been there with me from a size 12/14 when we met up to a size 20 and now a size 8/10 and my size has never been an issue for him, except for how it made me feel. I know how proud he is of me and I feel fantastic to be out on my husband’s arm and to get a cheeky knowing look from him.

Penny's Vital Statistics

	Was	Now
Weight	15st	9st 9.5
BMI	32.4	24.8
Body Fat	35.4	27.9
Chest	40"	36"
Waist	36"	30"
Hips	42"	37"