Age: 36
Height: 5' 9"
Start Weight: 14st
Current Weight: 12st 1½lb
Goal Weight: 11st
Weight Lost: 1st 13lb
Working to Rate of Loss: 1lb per week
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.
Try the Weight Loss Resources slimming tools -
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