Clare's Weight Loss Success Story

Clare, Age 47, Height 5ft 5in

Start Weight	12st 13lb
Current Weight	9st 9lbs
Goal Weight	9st 9lbs
Weight Lost	3st 4lb

About Clare

When I started eating healthily in January I also started walking approx 4 miles per day.

I had both hips fully replaced last year which contributed to my weight gain as I was unable to walk.

So once my final operation was out of the way I decided to get back in shape.

I am married and live with my lovely husband and one of our children who is 19. I more or less ate different meals to them as I ate a lot of ready meals (M&S Simply Fuller Longer and Tesco Light Choices) and vegetables, neither of which they like!

I have a sedentary job as an office manager working regular hours. I am lucky in that I am able to take my own lunch into work each day so I took Ryvitas, prawns, salads and snack-a-jack crisps with fruit as a snack.

What diets have you tried in the past?

• Weightwatchers – lost 3 stone when I was around 30 after my son was born
• Slimming World – books but didn’t attend classes – lost about 1 stone
• Atkins – lost about 2 stone after getting married in 2005 and seeing the photos!

All good but after about 6 months of losing weight I then started eating too much again.

Tell us how your weight loss has affected you

I have more energy.

"I am more alive and sparkly and other people are amazed."

I am getting compliments every day. People say I am half the woman I was a few months ago. My husband says it is like having a new wife!

What has been your main motivation to lose weight?

None of my clothes fitted and I tried on a size 18 which was too small, so I was more or less in a size 20. Now I am a size 10-12 and have had to go out and buy a new wardrobe!!

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

I used all of them regularly and found them all invaluable –Goals and Results, Food (including food plans and favourites), Exercise (including exercise plans), Reports.

"The main thing I like about WLR is that nearly all of the foods I wanted to find were on the food database. I didn’t find this with other sites."

And it is very easy to add your own foods as long as you have the nutrition label from the packaging. I especially like the ease of use in terms of putting in all your statistics at the beginning and being given the correct number of calories for a day.  

I also love the fact that you can get a rough idea how many calories are burned through various different types of exercise.

Try WLR's tools for yourself

Weight loss is easy with the tools in WLR. Like Clare, 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 purchased or used any products/fitness equipment that have helped to reach your goals?

Not really. I was sent the Calorie, Carb and Fat Bible when I joined but I didn’t use it as I preferred to look online as it’s - always accessible and faster!

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

Other diets haven’t failed as such. I usually lose weight when I put my mind to it.

The difference with WLR is that I weighed and measured everything to be sure that I had the correct measurements before inputting the details.

I also liked planning my intake at the BEGINNING of the day rather than adding it up at the end and finding I had gone over my allowance.

So I would set up my food plans and add them in at the beginning of the day to ensure I stayed within.

Also another big difference is that I have walked at least 4 miles a day while dieting which I think has accelerated things considerably and changed my body shape.

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

No I didn’t really struggle orplateau - it just fell off. I was motivated by the weight loss in itself!

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

I am now fit. I can walk 9 miles easily - I've just completed a 9 mile walk for charity for Iain Rennie Hospice at Home and am due to do Race for Life in July.

My dog gets lots of walks. My relationship with my husband has changed. I wear tight fitting clothes and show off my curves.

Exercise routines adopted

I walked at least 4 miles a day every day since starting.

What do you love about your body now?

Everything – it is a different shape because of the exercise/walking. There is nothing I don’t like!

Clare's Vitals Statistics	Before	Now
BMI	30.2	22.5
Body Fat	38.2	26.2
Chest	34	32
Waist	38	32
Hips	46	38

Clare's hints and tips

• Weigh absolutely everything – you’ll be really surprised at how much you are eating.
• Drink lots of water
• Walk lots
• Use the WLR system every day. Plan everything you eat, add everything into your food diary, absolutely everything even down to a little drop of milk.