Clare's Weight Loss Success Story

AKA "Clare4756" on Weight Loss Resources

About Clare

I work full time, and spend most of my evenings at home catching up on TV or meeting up with my friends. Up until December 2009 I visited the gym around 4 times a week which helped me to maintain at around 8st 4.

However in December, the gym unfortunately caught fire and had to immediately close, which meant my activity level dramatically dropped. I occasionally use my cross trainer at home now, but I’m not as motivated as I was at the gym and I started to gain weight.

I’d used WLR before to help me control portion sizes when I wasn’t training and lost a stone, getting down to 7st 12 over a 6-month period, so I re-joined.

I have been married for 18 months, but we have lived together for 7 years. I struggled with portion sizes when we first moved in together, especially as my husband is 6ft 2 so obviously needs a lot more food than me, being 5ft 1.

I’d managed to stop this impacting my weight when I was training, but when the training slowed down I started to gain weight.

As Gareth works shifts it is impractical for me to eat different food to him, as I like us to eat together. WLR allows us to eat the same things, just different portion sizes.

I am a buyer in the steel industry, so even though I am dual located on site and move between two offices, I spend most of my time sat down in meetings or at my desk. My job is quite challenging, and I normally miss my lunch break around three days a week, eating quickly at my desk.

I have consciously balanced my daily lunch box to ensure that it contains only fresh fruit and a calorie counted sandwich so that if I haven’t time to leave my desk I can still eat healthily and don’t end up visiting the vending machine if I get too hungry.

What diets (if any) have you tried in the past?

• Cabbage Soup
• British Heart Foundation diet
• Calorie counting on my own
• Xenadrine pills

Please comment on your experiences of trying these diets

These were short fixes where I lost a lot of weight quickly, then put it back on again.

Tell us how your weight has affected you

I have never been massively overweight, however due to my height if I start to go over 8st 7lb I start to become very conscious of how I look carrying the extra weight and feel uncomfortable in my clothes.

I really notice the gain around my hips and bum and I generally don’t do much clothes shopping when I feel this way and like to hide behind baggy tops and jeans. Weight gain also shows quite quickly in my face, so the mirror becomes my worst enemy…

I never realised how much I also hide from the camera when I’m bigger, only realising when looking for fat photos for this article.

What has been your main motivation to lose weight?

• To look good in my clothes
• Feel more confident
• Stay within my healthy weight range
• To maintain a size 10 figure throughout my 30’s.

Which Tools and resources on WLR do you find most valuable?

• I love the Forum message boards. They give WLR more of a community feel rather than just being a weight loss site. I love to read about how members are getting on and following their progress through their weight loss journey.
• Top average food lists in the food diary – to make sure I’m eating the right things consistently.
• Weight/goal graph to motivate me on plateau weeks to see how well I’ve done so far
• Daily food diary – My Bible!!

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

I love a routine and a process to follow, so WLR appeals to my OCD side! Lol! I also like the fact that if I want a chocolate I can have one, I just need to either earn it, or give up something else.

It’s not extreme, and even though the results happen a bit more slowly than the quick fix diets, they do happen every week if you stick within your allowance, and therefore keeps me motivated.

WLR doesn’t affect your social life!

Try WLR's tools for yourself

Calorie counting for weight loss is easy with the tools in WLR and you needn’t give up your favourite foods!  You can use the information on Weight Loss Resources to count how many calories you need to consume each day and how many you are actually eating. Try it free for 24 hours.

Have you struggled at points in your weight loss journey? Experienced a weight loss plateau? What has kept you motivated?

I always plateau around 8st 5lbs and then again around 8st 2lbs, where my body seems to be happy. It’s happened before so I find that switching to maintenance can sometimes kickstart loss.

I’ve also started weighing myself in pounds rather than stones, as it’s easier to focus on pounds loss rather than your current weight, especially if like me you are only aiming to lose under a stone.

Since losing weight can you give examples of how your life has changed?

• I have to buy size 8 and feel really happy when clothes shopping! No tantrums in the changing room!
• I no longer panic when planning spa days with the girls or going on holiday and packing my bikini
• I plan all my food in advance, so I make sure I get a good balance of different fruit and veg, my portions of oily fish, limit red meats etc. Food shopping is also a lot more focussed.

Exercise routines adopted

• Lots of hill walking – (I loved the walk the weight off challenge)
• Cross training (Occasionally!)

What do you love about your body now?

My flat tummy

Clare's hints and tips

• Even when you think you’ve cracked it, keep monitoring, you can easily fall back into old habits.
• Don’t give up, it’s a marathon and not a sprint - I can’t remember who said it, (one of the WLR girls) – The time will pass anyway, so you may as well keep working at it.
• Post on the boards, don’t be shy, you could just get a Eureka moment from someone who’s got the same problem that you have.
• Take photos even if you don’t share them, sometimes you’ll be pleasantly surprised…you don’t always see yourself the way other people do.

Clare'sVital Statistics

	Before	Now
Weight	8st 13lb	8st 3lb
BMI	23.2	21.8
Body Fat	N/A	25.4%
Chest	N/A	34DD
Waist	N/A	24.5"
Hips	N/A	34"