Mary's Weight Loss Success Story

Mary, Age 60

Start Weight	17 stone
Current Weight	9 stone 11½lb
Goal Weight	9 stone 12lb
Weight Lost	7 stone 2½lb
Working to Rate of Loss	Averaged 1½-2lb per week

Dieting History

I've tried almost everything!

• F-Plan
• Grapefruit diet
• Low Carb
• Slimming Magazine
• Cambridge
• Weight Watchers
• Calorie Counting
• Pills - ponderax, tenuate dospan, douramin, Zenical...

I was overweight/obese as a child. Born 10lbs, later I would joke that I weighed in stones my age in years!

Certainly true at 11 years and 15 years. I always thought I got fat being indulged/comfort eating when my mother died when I was 8 - but photographs show it was earlier than that, when I was 5 or 6.

First time I lost weight (aged 22ish) at University I went from 14-15 stone to 10½, then got married aged 26 and the weight piled on.

After 3rd pregnancy I lost weight (aged 35ish) at Slimming Club, from about 13 stone to 9 stone. Failed to maintain it after my 4th pregnancy.

Since then I've tended to lose 2 stone and put on 3 - fluctuating between 17½ at my heaviest and about 13 stone at my lightest.

On Being Overweight…

I've always hated being fat - not able to move, buy clothes, etc.

My husband never said anything directly, but clearly thought it simply a question of willpower.

He's proud of my success this time though!

I was teaching in a pupil referral unit, difficult young teenagers (14-16years) and they often made comments and poked fun at me.

"I felt less of a person, thick and stupid and greedy."

My overweight daughter was like a mirror of myself and I always thought people would think no wonder she was fat.

Actually, she's a really nice young woman now and comfortable with herself and losing weight.

"I feel really motivated this time and confident I have now found the key to maintaining, ie. exercise."

I always had a fairly healthy diet but far too much of it and did virtually no exercise.

Motivation to Lose Weight

• The fact that it's working! Made the connection with exercise for the first time.
• I feel more confident and successful and valued - all very motivating feelings.
• I can't bear not being able to buy clothes I like.
• Fear of ageing - didn't want to be overweight, grey in crimplene. My mental picture of myself is much younger.
• Fear of not being able to look after myself, not being able to clean myself, to be honest not being able to reach bits of myself.

Discovering Weight Loss Resources

An article in the Doors section of the Sunday Times.

How Weight Loss Resources Helps

In lots of ways!

1. By having a connecting food and exercise diary, I like the basic "scientific" approach to weight loss.
2. The food and exercise databases - being able to create and calculate recipes.
3. The message boards are very supportive, particularly in exchange of ideas - eg. when I needed to reassess my background activity level at the end of August when I retired.
4. I actually like the fact you can be quite anonymous. Not too sure about blowing my cover with the profile!
5. Other member's inspirational weight loss success stories - people with more to lose than me, sadly not too many as old as me.
6. I like access 24/7 - also, with members in places such as New Zealand and Canada, there's a whole wide web of fellow strugglers!

The Best of Weight Loss Resources

I use each day the food diary, exercise diary and boards, and occasionally message.

I use the recipe section and goals and results regularly.

Mary's Tips for Losing Weight

• Use the diaries - they are essential
• Use scales in the kitchen - it's amazing how easy it is to deceive oneself!
• Write everything down
• Use the boards, don't be discouraged if you can't keep up with the chatting during the day - everyone is very forgiving. I try to keep a jotter of people's usernames and significant things they say - it helps with the memory loss too!
• Try to resist weighing yourself each day - weight fluctuates so much, you could risk blowing your plans.

Finally...

I think the site is fantastic, the team helpful and the cost is very reasonable for the facilities.