Kate's 4.5 Stone Loss - an emotional journey

Kate, Age 40, Height 5ft 3in

Start Weight	13st
Current Weight	8½st
Weight Lost	4½st
Time Taken	Around a year

I was a competitive swimmer in my childhood and throughout my early teens so I was very active and fit during that time and only weighed about 8 stone.  When I was 15 I gave up competitive swimming and, after years of training several times a week, I stopped exercising altogether. 

"By my 16th birthday I had put on 3 stone and I felt depressed, uncomfortable, embarrassed and different from all my school friends."

That was the start of an ongoing battle with my weight that lasted almost 25 years.  I tried every diet I came across, exercised fanatically so I could eat more and sometimes starved myself for several days at a time.

I developed an eating disorder that wasn’t even recognised in those days as a ‘disorder’ but left me with the same feelings of self-loathing and constant disappointment in myself because I had no self-control.

How being overweight affected me

My weight went up and down over the years. I was slim for part of my 20s and fat again a few years later.

I dieted again to get slim in my early/mid 30s when I got married, then I developed PTSD after a traumatic incident and emotional eating caused my weight to balloon up to 13 stone. I then hid myself away for the next five years.

"I was anxious, sad and very lonely because I felt so ashamed of my body."

I have no ‘before’ photographs at my heaviest weight because I wouldn’t allow anyone to take pictures of me!

I got tired when I walked any distance, I wouldn’t go swimming because I was too fat and too embarrassed to wear a costume.

I wouldn’t socialise because I looked so awful in clothes and I could never find anything to wear that didn’t make me feel fat and frumpy.  I was miserable and my marriage began to suffer too.

Getting motivated to lose weight

I don’t remember the turning point for me.  I just remember that I couldn’t bear to carry on existing as I was.

Life had become too painful for me, so I finally sought treatment for my PTSD and that was the kick start I needed.  I began to feel better and I started to care about myself again.

I have a degree in psychology and I’ve always been interested in what makes people tick, so I followed my passion and trained as a Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).

The outcome wasn’t what I expected but it was exactly what I needed at that point in my life.  Using NLP I learned how to live, eat, think and behave like a person who is naturally slim and, very gradually, the weight started to come off. 

How wlr helped

I discovered Weight Loss Resources after I had begun my journey and it was the missing piece I’d been looking for.

I’m not a ‘social dieter’ so, for me, it was all about the food diary. 

"I’ve used food diaries in the past but WLRs diary is the best I’ve found anywhere." 

It’s so clear to read and, although I’ve always been a bit of a technophobe, it’s also easy to use.

I really enjoyed filling out the diary every day so it quickly became a part of my normal routine. I created my own recipes and, once my favourite foods were on the system it took only a few minutes to record everything I was eating. 

I love the way macronutrients are calculated so I always knew if I needed to eat more protein or less sugar.  I don’t eat meat and I have a very sweet tooth so these are nutrients I need to keep an eye on.

Having all my calories worked out for me was brilliant too!  I just followed the recommendations on how much I could eat, added my exercise to the diary so those calories could be included, stayed within my allowance and the weight came off.

Just knowing that I could record everything so easily kept me motivated not to go off track with my food intake, and seeing what a difference exercise made to my daily allowance kept me motivated to get moving as often as possible.  I’m only small so I can’t eat much unless I move!

I enjoyed looking at the tables and graphs too – it’s fun to look back at where you started and to see everything heading in the right direction.

How losing weight changed my life

My life is very different now that I’m slim.  I have a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle.  I became a Nutrition and Weight Loss Consultant and I’m now training as a Health Coach too.

I’ve set up my own business offering 1-2-1 coaching for people, like me, who are fed up with yoyo dieting and want to take back control of their life and their body.

I go hiking in the mountains where I live every weekend, or I go to the gym if the weather is bad, and I’m back to swimming 2 or 3 times a week.

Last Summer I bought a wetsuit so I can swim outdoors and I’m now training for the Great North Swim in Windermere.  I feel very lucky that I was able to turn my life around.

"I’m happy, I’m full of energy and I love my new body."

I have great friends, a new career and a brilliant social life.  I enjoy getting dressed up for a night out and I can even wear a bikini with confidence.

I like what I see in the mirror these days and it’s a wonderful feeling.  I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved and WLR has been an important part of my journey.