Lisa's Calorie Counting Success
| Start Weight | 17st 9lbs |
|---|---|
| Current Weight | 11st 4lb |
| Goal Weight | 11st 4lb |
| Weight Lost | 6st 5lb |
| Working to Rate of Loss | ½ - 1lb lb per week |
About Lisa
I’m a PA for a business consultant. I’m always busy at work on various projects and sometimes it gets stressful and I tended to eat biscuits and chocolates to keep my energy up throughout the day so it was no surprise I gained weight.
I got married in July 2007. My husband and I lived together for 17 years before finally deciding to get hitched.
We were worried our eldest would walk up the aisle before we did!
I am a mother to 3 boys aged 19, 16 and 8 so I have a tendency to have loads of snacks in the house to keep everyone content.
It can be a nightmare when I open the cupboard! I’m faced with too many calorie laden snacks.
There always lots of healthy stuff too but the naughty, high calorie snacks always seemed to get me first!
Dieting History
My most popular diet was the Monday morning diet. Always started on a Monday morning and ended by about 3pm Monday afternoon! Enough said!
I tried Slim Fast. I’ve tried the Kellogg’s breakfast cereal diet and also joined the Rosemary Connelly Diet club.
Slimfast - within about 4 days I was bored. It didn’t teach me anything about healthy eating habits.
Kellogg’s 2 bowls for 2 weeks you know the one…cereal for breakfast, cereal for lunch then an evening meal. By day 5 I didn’t want to see another bowl of cereal again…ever!
Finally in 2003 I’d had enough of being obese and unable to fit into clothes I liked.
Something just clicked and I joined my local Rosemary Conley Diet club. It was the 1st step of a major lifestyle change for me.
The weight dropped off quite quickly. I was losing 2lbs plus a week every week and within a year managed to get to 12 stone 8lbs.
I then decided to leave thinking I knew everything about diets.
I soon slipped back into my old ways and within 18 months I’d gone back up to 15 stone 10lbs.
I was very disappointed with myself. I was surfing the web one evening when I came across WLR. The rest as they say is history!
How being overweight has affected you…
I was always bubbly on the outside but deep down I hated myself. Hated how I looked and hated how I felt.
All my friends are slim and I so wanted to be like them.
My friends and family (with the exception of my wonderful mum) never made me feel like I was the “fat” one. They never commented. I was just Lisa. It didn’t matter that I was big and I love them for that.
My mum is my worst critic though. She knew I couldn’t have been happy and she often commented on how big I’d become and begged me to lose weight.
She always meant well though. She just wanted to see her only daughter happy and healthy. She’s loving my new figure now!!
I also never took any exercise. The thought of my huge frame plodding around a gym was just a frightening thought.
Motivation to Diet
I love clothes and I could never fit into the clothes I liked. So initially that was motivation enough.
In 2006 it was my up and coming 2007 wedding.
I didn’t want to be a frumpy bride and I knew people would have expected me to lose weight for my wedding…most brides do.
I managed to get down to 12 stone 3lb by my wedding day. I was much happier with my body but I knew I had to keep going after the wedding, I wasn’t quite where I wanted to be.
Now it’s a mixture of things. I love my new shape and I want to keep it! Plus I took up running last October and the lighter I get the easier it becomes…believe me!
Also my motivation comes from comments from other people who have always known the larger version of me, I get the “Wow” factor now when I see people and their comments keep me on a high.
How Weight Loss Resources Helps
WLR’s a truly awesome tool. It’s taught me that I can eat anything. Nothing is a sin.
Just count the calories, keep within my daily calorie allowance and all will be well.
I can’t stress enough how important my food diary is. It’s become an instrumental part of my daily life and I wouldn’t be without it.
The exercise diary is also key to controlling my calories. It’s great after filling it in and seeing additional calories clock up.
The diaries on WLR gives me what I call the Three ‘C’s Confidence, Clarity and Calories!!
The support from other members on the Members Forum is fantastic. Sometimes I just want to moan about the day or want to ask a question about anything weight loss related. I always get a reply.
It’s great knowing all of us are on the same journey and sharing our experiences, ideas and thoughts.
The Best of Weight Loss Resources
Food diary, exercise diary and the members forum.
Why do you think WLR has helped you lose weight where other diets have failed?
WLR has put me in the driving seat. I control my calorie intake and not the other way around.
I can see at a glance whether I’m under or over calories for the week giving me the freedom to make choices.
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is the calorie density in all types of food.
Previously I’d pile my plate with what I considered to be healthy - rice, pasta, chicken, bread etc, but I didn’t think about how many calories a 100gram serving of these foods contained. A true eye opener.
Lisa's Calorie Counting Tips
Fill in your food diary without fail - Every little morsel of food or drink – log it. Knowledge is a powerful tool.
Take exercise.You don’t have to be an elite sprinter or champion weight lifter to burn and earn calories. Just a brisk 10 minute walk can burn 100 calories and it will speed up your weight loss.
Read the forum messages – There will always be something you can relate to. I guarantee if something about your weight loss is troubling you, jump on, join in and you will get replies, but more importantly you get answers.
If you’ve got a question just ask – It’s like having an online therapist or coach. We all become experts at it…what more could a girl or guy want!
Don’t get complacent – How many times I‘ve read posts of members re-joining because they hit their target and thought “That’s it”, only to come back a stone heavier a few months even weeks later. I don’t want to be in that position again.
Being a member of WLR is a small price to pay for a lifetime of looking and feeling good. I can’t foresee a time when I won’t be a member of WLR. I’ve made some great friends on here.
Lifestyle Changes
I’m so much happier and I’m much more confident. I don’t hide from cameras anymore either!!
I ran my first 10k race in April. A year or two ago I would have never thought I would be running let alone running in a race.
My long runs are now up to 10 miles and I’ve entered a half-marathon later this year.
I’m totally amazed at myself and what I have been able to achieve. The possibilities are endless.
Foods that you eat now and didn't before or don't eat any more
Nothing really, I eat what I want and that’s the beauty of WLR. If I’m over one day I just go under the next, how easy is that! I even get my chocolate fix…brilliant!
Typical Evening Meal:
Before: Fried Chicken, Chips and more chips…and then the kid’s leftover chips!
Now: Steamed fish or chicken, loads of veg/salad and a handful of pasta or rice. A yoghurt or piece of fruit for my sweet fix.
My treat is a Cadburys Freddo chocolate bar – 105 calories of pure chocolate pleasure!
Exercise Routines Adopted:
Running and weight training. Don’t think weights will make you bulky. It really won’t! It reshapes and tones your body and more muscle burns more calories. A win win situation all round.
Any Major Changes?
Yeh, my bank balance – new clothes are expensive!!!
Try it Free
You can use the tools and information on Weight Loss Resources to find out how many calories you need to consume each day and how many you are actually eating. Try it free for 24 hours
* Note: The success stories published on Weight Loss Resources are written by WLR members, past and present, telling their own stories in their own words. As you will see if you read more than one or two of them, everyone's story is different and they have reached their success from a variety of starting points and lost weight at varying rates. Individual results may vary.
