Celine's Success Story

Celine, Age 35, Height 158cm (5ft 2in)

Start Weight	66.7kg (10st 7lbs)
Current Weight	49.1kg (7st 10lbs)
Goal Weight	50kg (7st 12lbs)
Weight Lost	17.6kg (2st 10lbs)

About Celine

I live with my LT partner (we have been together since we were 19 yrs old). He has always been supportive in what I do.

However he does not understand and does not want to understand the concept of calorie counting. He is a lucky one who can eat whatever and whenever.

We have two wonderful children aged 6 and 2. They keep me busy after work.

My oldest suffers from severe food allergies (gluten, eggs, nuts to name a few) so I am very aware of what I need to feed them. Reading labels is always a must when I try something new.

I tend to cook everything from scratch. No precooked meals and no burgers or pizza takeaways in our house.

Life is busy during the week but more relaxed with the kids during the weekends. We are both French but have lived in the UK for over 12 years.

When we go back to France (around once every 3 months), we always tend to have an orgy of good food (cheeses, raclettes, yummy fresh baguettes and croissants etc).

I work full time in an office which is always full of cakes and chocolate. I sit on my bum all day staring at a computer and getting stressed over little things.

I really enjoy my job though. Very little social life as my kids are a priority! At the weekends, it is time with kids – playing football, catching up with friends with coffee and biscuits!

Before April I did not exercise. But my OH convinced me to join a boot camp type group and I am loving it!

I try to go at least twice a week – outdoor sessions which relax me a lot!!!

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

It seems that I always have been on a diet. I put on weight very easily.

I have always struggled with accepting my weight. When I was younger I was always the chubby friend, the little fat funny girl.

At 17, I started calorie counting and lost 15kg. The diet was based on very little – food was evil and my weight went down to 45kg.

Great achievement for me at the time, but my periods stopped for 12 months and I was losing hair, passing out etc.

For 9 months I was really anorexic – refusing to eat properly… eating a diet bar per day to keep me going.

"The wake up call came from my mum and then I met my OH…and my love for food came back." 

The weight went back on to around 55kg – healthier, but internally I was not very happy.

I fell pregnant in 2003. 1st child and a whopping + 25 kg on the scales!!! I was 80kg when I had my son.

In France, your weight is closely monitored but in the UK my midwife did not care! I was enjoying food to the max for the first time in many years and everybody was telling me that I had a good excuse.

My little boy arrived and he had health issues (we later discovered that it was linked to his allergies but it took the NHS 12 months to realise!!!).

"This led me to total depression and I found refuge in food. Not counting, measuring or caring about myself." 

I was just concentrating on my boy – ignoring myself totally.

I stayed very heavy until my boy was around 2 years old. But I could not bear the thought of being so big… my size 16 clothes were getting tight so I decided to start dieting.

I googled calorie counting and came across WLR. I came back down to 60kg – much better!

For a couple of years I fluctuated between 55 kg and 60 kg but always watched what I was eating.

In 2007, I fell pregnant again but this time I was a bit more careful as to what I was eating.

I also developed diabetes so no cake or sugary things.

When my daughter was born I was (still) 70kg! With a little effort (i.e. 1 cake instead of 3) I came down to 68kg but as my daughter was approaching 18 months, I thought that I had to do something about it!

Please comment on your experiences of trying these diets:

The silly – eat less than 400 cal a day diet was absolutely rubbish and I have learnt to never go below 1100 a day.

I have tried meal replacements (shakes and bar) but never managed to succeed. I need real food.  I need to have the impression that I eat something otherwise I am still hungry.

I have tried Weightwatchers for a week but the point system was sooo complicated that I gave up!

"Then I found WLR – straight forward and so easy to use."

Tell us how your weight has affected you?

I compensated being overweight by having a lively happy personality when I was younger.

But deep inside me, I have never been happy with carrying all these extra kilos – not able to run without being breathless… not buying the clothes I wanted but just buying clothes to cover the fat…

"People were seeing me as fat but happy (how wrong can they be!)"

In my early 30’s I was very depressed about my weight. My OH was not saying anything but really I knew he was just being nice to me…But the more depressed I got, the more food I was eating.

What has been your main motivation to lose weight?

I wanted to feel young again and also be able to run around with the kids, do stuff with them and in a way I wanted them to be proud of their mummy...

"It was also about the feeling of looking good, being proud of myself, not avoiding the photos" 

...maybe selfishly but I lost weight mainly for me me me!!!

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

I joined in November and bar holidays, I logged everyday. I used the food diary every day without fail for 8 months.

It is invaluable. I often check before I eat the calories of my meals.

For speed, I also started to use the food plan as I found that I am always having the same breakfast or the same lunch.

"The member forums are amazing – great people and tremendous support. They are always there to give you advices or support when you think you are failing."

I also used the goals and the graph regularly to show how I was doing. The graph is the proof of your success… remember the Longer Term trend!!! Ignore the “little blitz” increases that you may have.

Try WLR's tools for yourself

Calorie counting is easy with the tools in WLR.  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.

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

The food diary of course to check exactly what I was eating. I always thought I was being healthy but really when you are 80kg you have to stop kidding yourself!

"There is no secret and WLR gives you the true calorie content!"

It also helps to have a balanced diet and of course it is a great incentive to increase veg/fruit consumption.

As you have to log everything you eat, I also find that it is a great motivator… and a good way to stay focused!!

Have You Struggled in Your Weight Loss Journey?

For Xmas I was in France and went skiing. I lost all my motivation as I could not resist the parties with friends, the cheese, the wine, the charcuterie, the bread etc.
For 4 weeks I did not log and the weight went back quicker than a flash (+4kg).

What Kept You Motivated?

Anyway, I started to log again and then the motivation came back!

"I just wanted to be lighter and feel good and I knew I could do it."

I also had my Bro in law’s wedding in July as a target – I wanted to reach 50kg for this wedding and I did it! It has always been a great motivator and I think having something to have a goal for clearly helps but you need MOTIVATION.

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

Enjoying the nice little summer dresses, trying on clothes size 8!!!!
I feel light and happy!!! I don’t worry so much about my body as I know it looks good! :)

Exercise Routines Adopted

I am now going twice a week to a boot camp group and I am loving it!

We are running like maniacs for an hour – in the mud sometimes but the feeling afterwards is soooo great!

"I feel less anxious and nervous since I have started exercising that it for sure!"

Whenever I can, I also walk, walk and walk. Every weekend we have at least 1 hr walk with my OH – great way to tone and take some fresh air.

What do you love about your body now?

Never satisfied really... Still some flabby bits on the stomach but I am working on toning this!

Celine's Tips and Hints

1. To lose weight you need motivation. If your head/mind is not ready, there is no point even trying – put yourself on maintenance to try to limit the damage. You need strong willingness and keep saying to yourself I CAN DO THIS!
2. Record your weight on a weekly basis on the graph and set some goals (achievable!).I had first to reach 55 and then 53 and then 50kg
3. Use the forums – there are amazing people on there... always there to support you and give you good advice... It also helps me to read others people posts as I can see that I am not the only one... dieting is a big rollercoaster....
4. Don’t be too hard on yourself but stay focused – e.g. if you go on holiday, relax but be ready to log as soon as you come back. I did not log when I was away... it is good sometimes to also put the diet on the side as long as it is for only a week or 2! Allow a treat like a take away every now and then but go for the healthier option!
5. Do start to exercise – it really helps to tone and help shape your body