Success Story: Jill

AKA "JillMidd" on Weight Loss Resources

Weight Loss History

With the exception of Atkins just about everything! Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, Cabbage Soup, Slimming World, Hays - are the ones that spring immediately to mind. I also recall a supposed Heart Foundation diet that was a two week “quick fix” with a strict menu that had to be followed - involved a lot of beetroot (which I hate!), frankfurters and peanut butter!!

Have you lost weight before and regained the weight?

Yes and every time! Each of the diets I tried was successful to some degree but I never maintained. I always but the weight back on - and usually more - immediately I stopped the diet plan.

How being overweight has affected you…

My weight has always had a big influence on my life and what I want to do. I hated clothes shopping. I was always the biggest girl in any of the groups we went out with, and I always imagined that others would be commenting on how big I was. I didn’t want to socialise, I never wanted to make an effort with my appearance - no makeup, couldn’t be bothered with my hair. I didn’t see the point. I wasn’t going to look good because I was too fat! And as for pictures, well I was in torment if someone had a camera.

Motivation to Lose Weight

I think, when I realised that I was getting out of breath just getting dressed, couldn’t bend down properly without it hurting, and realisation that 50 is on the horizon all had a big influence. That plus a wardrobe full of clothes 90% of which I could not get into - by a long way. The moment I realised that a size 18 was getting pretty close to tight was the final straw! Perhaps the most psychologically significant - I didn’t want to get undressed in front of my husband!

Discovering Weight Loss Resources

Google! - best thing Google ever turned up for me!

How Weight Loss Resources Helps

I still feel like I’m only scratching the surface of what the site as a whole has to offer! I keep finding very useful snippets and articles in the various sections, that are a real eye opener - not to mention what you learn from the message boards!

Recording my weight and seeing it drop has been a great tool for me. I was lucky enough at the beginning to see some good weight loss early on which was a very good motivation to continue! I use the food planner a lot and record everything religiously. By using the food planner I could see not only the calories but also the nutritional profile that has started to become a bit of a challenge! Trying to match the recommended guidelines has directly resulted in a much more healthy eating plan.

Now I’m over 6 months into this, I find that my whole outlook on food has changed. I really enjoy the healthier options, and now genuinely do not want the takeaways and fast foods. I’ve discovered so many wonderful new food ideas - with the help of the recipes not to mention some wonderful new ingredients!

Most importantly I really could not have done it, or be sticking to it, without the support and wonderful advice from other members. It’s been a revelation and I recommend it to anyone and everyone!

The Best of Weight Loss Resources

Definitely the food diary and the message boards. I visit both during the course of the day to check out foods BEFORE I indulge and to ask advice and join in the fun on the boards!

Jill's Tips for Losing Weight

My main tip would be to check your portion sizes. It was a real eye opener to me just how badly I estimated the weight of certain foods. I recently went through a plateau with no real weight loss for about 4 weeks and this was purely because I stopped weighing and started guessing. I was shocked at how easy it was for the portion sizes to start creeping up!

Use the food planners. It’s far too easy to realise after the fact that that “treat” has done some serious damage to your daily calorie intake.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions of the help team AND other members on the boards - there is so much really good and helpful advice out there!

It’s never too late! Don’t think that age has any factor. This site caters for all people of all ages and is set up to healthily guide us on a better eating and exercise plan. I’m nearing 50 and am fitter and healthier than I have been for years!

Jill's Vital Statistics

	Before	Now
Weight	14st 2lb	10st 7lb