Success Story: Katrina

Katrina, Age 37, Height 161cm (5ft 3in)

Start Weight	68kg but have been heavier(10st 10lbs)
Current Weight	57kg (9st)
Goal Weight	58kg (9st 2lbs)
Weight Lost	11kg (1st 10lbs)
Working to Rate of Loss	1kg (2lbs) per week

Dieting History

Lots.

When I was younger (a lot younger) I would simply stop eating for as long as it took when I needed to lose weight.

I would severely restrict my calories, starve myself for a couple of weeks and things were good (or so I thought).

The most success (other than WLR!) I’ve had is Weight Watchers.

However, the weight always managed to find its way back on.

"I like the fact that WLR quite clearly shows how many calories have been eaten for the day and how many more you still have left."

Besides that I have also tried heaps of the different meal substitute type diets.

You know the ones. You drink a powdered drink to replace the various meals you should be having.

Have you lost weight before and regained the weight?

Heaps and heaps of times! It’s what I do best!!!

How being overweight has affected you…

I’m not sure that my weight has ever really stopped me doing things.

"However, I think it is more about my perception of me."

I hate myself carrying around the extra weight especially in things like photos that you have to remind yourself of important events.

I hate that I have photos of fun times that I really can’t look at because all I see is the ‘fat’ me.

Motivation to Diet

This time around it was a trip to Fiji. A week on a tropical island sunbaking is a very big motivation to get the weight off!

Obviously a week wearing togs and shorts is easier without all the additional weight and I also wanted to look good in the photos after the trip.

An unexpected trip to New Zealand is added motivation to keep the weight off.

"I started my ‘diet’ in June knowing that I had 6 months to get the weight off slowly and safely."

The problem is without the discipline of something like the WLR diary it was too easy to be naughty and write it off until tomorrow.

I didn’t take off any weight until September when I decided to get really hard with myself and found WLR.

At this stage I knew that if I didn’t start taking it off it was going to be there for my Christmas Fiji trip.

Discovering Weight Loss Resources

I was surfing one day looking for a site that would explain how many calories a day I would need to start losing weight and give me some diet ideas.

I put in “calorie counter” and it came back with WLR.

The promise of signing up without any credit card details was tempting and it took about half a day to decide to sign up for 3 months.

How Weight Loss Resources Helps

I love the diary. I think it really helps to show how many calories you are eating each day.

It’s interesting to note that some foods can be up to ¼ of your daily allowance (sometimes more) especially when you are only on 1100 calories a day.

"The diary keeps me honest so instead of saying “Oh one little one won’t hurt” the diary shows me if I can ‘afford’ to eat a certain food or not."

Many a time I have put something back because the calories just aren’t worth it! It’s also helpful to know that calories can be ‘banked’.

Whereas before, one slip in my diet and I would throw in the towel and start again tomorrow I am now thinking of how the added calories will affect tomorrow’s allowance i.e. I can keep stuffing my face but those calories will still be there tomorrow.

"Now I draw a line under the slip up and work to rectify it with exercise or by being careful for the rest of the week."

Keeping the diary also means that I know if I can ‘afford’ a treat and so I eat without the feelings of guilt that I usually have.

Prior to this when I ate something ‘naughty’ I would feel that I had put all the weight back on which is really silly cause one slip up doesn’t equate to a 10kg gain.

Now I can see where the treats fit into the eating plan.

The Best of Weight Loss Resources

When I first started I only used the diary to keep track of my calories. It wasn’t until after the second week that I really discovered the message boards.

Originally I didn’t think they were for me but now I am hooked.

The time difference between the UK and Australia means that I can log on in the morning as soon as I get up and devour the conversation over my breakfast.

"I stayed quiet for a while but everyone is so fantastic that I can’t resist throwing in my 2 cents worth now and then."

I think the support that the message board provides really helps you to stay motivated.

There are some really knowledgeable people on the boards who always have an answer to any question.

Katrina's Dieting Tips

I know it’s been said before but I really think that the diary is the key to success.

At first it can be really time consuming but once the foods are entered into your favourites it is a lot faster.

The beauty of entering all your food is not only that you can clearly see how many calories you have consumed but it also provides many other statistics allowing you to track information over weeks or months.

I’m a person who loves statistics and really enjoy being able to enter all my food and then track what it is doing and how it relates to my weight loss.

"I love watching the numbers every day (sad really!!) but it keeps me motivated and on track."

Anyone can do this. At first the task may seem way too big but reading other peoples profiles there are some amazing weight loss tales.

Some people have lost major amounts of weight so it can be done.

Stick with it, fill in your diary honestly and get on those message boards for support.