Success Story: Sally

AKA "Sally70" on Weight Loss Resources

Slimming History

Nothing except counting calories – unless you count Bai-Lin tea (anyone else remember that scam back in 1987, advertised by Sam Fox...)

Have you lost weight before and regained the weight?

I was always big as a child / teenager and hit 13 stone when I was 17. A chance cruel remark from a teacher prompted me to lose weight but at that age I became very obsessive about it and ended up calorie-counting and eating far too little, even giving up milk in my coffee because it added 30 cals a day!! I got down to under 10 stone, which is far too thin for my height and build, then put it all back on when I went to university. After that I was reluctant to try any diet as I didn’t want to become obsessed again but I did address my compulsive eating, which was more of a worry to me than my weight, and that resulted in losing a little weight.

Years later, I also lost a lot through stress after the break-up of a relationship. The weight stayed off until I moved in with my husband, which stopped me going to the gym and started me going out for too many beers and curries. My weight then went up from 11 stone to 14.

How being overweight has affected you…

When I was growing up it was difficult to get clothes in my size as a teenager (even though I was only a size 16 – I’d have no problem these days) so I always felt like I was the odd one out. Even now I hate shopping because I always assume that there won’t be anything that fits me or suits me and I’m always surprised when I find something my size.

Motivation to slim?

I was just fed up of being 14 stone and, more importantly to me, unfit and finally felt like I had the strength to take control and do something just over a year ago. I wanted to be fit and slim again. Before that, I had had a difficult 18 months with the death of my dad followed closely by my wedding, and I wasn’t in the right mindset to add more stress to my life by trying to lose weight, especially as I was very wary of going on anything that could be called a diet, given my previous experience of getting obsessive.

That time also coincided with a new job which meant I had to start dressing more smartly at work – and all of my old suits were a bit tight, so it was time to either get the cheque book out or get slimming! (Now I need to get more suits anyway but this time because the old ones are too big…).

Discovering Weight Loss Resources

I started a “lifestyle” course at my local gym, where we were taught a lot about nutrition and exercise and given some guidelines for shaping up – whether you wanted to add muscle to build yourself up or lose fat and slim down. That prompted me to look for some nutrition information on foods, not just calories but also fat, protein and carbs. When I did a search on the web, WLR was the best source that came up.

How Weight Loss Resources Helps

Where do I start??! It lets me take control without getting obsessive. I can plan meals and understand what to eat in order to reach my goals. That means that I don’t have to cut out anything that I don’t want to. I’ve lost 12kg and don’t feel like I’m “on a diet” because I set my own rules – if I want to go out for fondue and red wine then I can, I just need to plan it. The food diary enabled me to play around with different foods until I found what worked for me.

The fact that I can see my progress is great – I can look back over 6 months and see the graph with my weight on a downward trend, which always helps in the times that I get demotivated if I have a couple of weeks where I don’t lose anything. And the boards are always there for sharing a good experience, trying to help someone else through a bad time, or getting advice on a problem. It makes the whole slimming process a lot less lonely!

The Best of Weight Loss Resources

I mainly use the food & exercise diaries and message boards. I love the fact I can also input my own recipes and that we have profiles so that we can “see” who we’re “talking” to.

Sally's Slimming Tips

• Use the food diary and the nutrition profile to make sure you’re getting a balanced intake of food.
• Invest in some digital kitchen scales and weigh everything, especially at the beginning. Set yourself realistic goals and be prepared to change aspects of your life to meet them.
• If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got…
• Have some non-weight-related goals, eg to do with fitness or size or percentage body fat or types of food. Losing weight is only one part of moving to a healthier lifestyle and even if you’re not losing weight every single week, you can be moving towards your other goals, which will help motivate you.
• Be a part of the community – everyone on the boards is great and will always be there to support you.
• Take part in the challenges that are organised – having mini-goals keeps you focused.

This is a site that will help you in the long-term. If you have the motivation and commitment, WLR will provide you with the tools to take control and lose weight in the way that you want to. I’m over halfway to goal now but I wouldn’t have got this far without WLR, and I know that I will get there with the support I find on the site.

Sally's Vital Statistics

	Before	Now
Weight	14st	12st 1½lb