Rose Finds Time for Weight Loss Success

Rose, Age 38, Height 5' 6"

Start Weight	16st 2lb
Current Weight	9st 10lb
Weight Lost	6st 3lb
Inches Lost	35"
Working to Rate of Loss	2lb per week

About Rose

I have quite a hectic life.  I am married with two young children (8 and 3 yrs old).

I have a more than full time job in the IT industry which often means a lot of travelling.

Even when I am in the ‘office’ I am still out of the house for a minimum of 12 hours per day.

My husband leaves the house early every morning, leaving me to get myself and both kids washed, dressed and fed and out of the house just after 7am.

I used to kid myself that this meant that I didn’t have any time for breakfast, didn’t have time to plan healthy lunches and certainly didn’t have time to think about cooking ‘proper’ meals for my husband and I.

Once the children were in bed, a glass of wine was first on the agenda and then often whatever I could cook (or heat up in the microwave!!) with the least effort and time.

Weight Loss History

Oh I’ve tried lots of different diets!

• Weightwatchers (lasted about a month, couldn’t be faffed with having to work out points all the time)
• Slimming World (fine for losing weight over a short period but not a long term thing, got bored with never being able to have a proper roast dinner!)
• Cabbage Soup Diet (not nice for those that shared air with me!)
• A dreadful diet that purported to be British Heart Foundation but clearly wasn’t
• Low Carb (didn’t have a clue what I was doing)
• Low Fat (this was more successful but too restrictive for the long term)
• Special K . . . (just ridiculous!)

How Being Overweight Has Affected You

I’ve always been active, whatever my weight, and I never wanted it to affect what I did with the children so we have always gone swimming, gone for walks, messed around playing in the garden etc.

"But as the weight piled on I really didn’t have as much energy for those things and although I still did them, it was more because I felt I should than because I enjoyed it."

Professionally I need to be confident in my outlook but, more and more, I would dread meeting new people or going to new clients as I felt like all they would see was someone who cared so little for themselves that they couldn’t even control their eating.

Somehow I just couldn’t find it in myself to do anything about it.

"To be perfectly honest I never even saw how big I’d gotten."

It’s only now that I look at the photos and feel horror that I let it go so far.

I did actually lose a lot of weight a couple of years ago but somehow I didn’t change anything about my ‘normal’ habits so as soon as I stopped dieting the weight just crept back on. 

The other thing that I hated was that I stopped enjoying eating out.

"I used to feel that people would be looking at me and wondering why I was eating when I clearly didn’t need to!"

Looking back now, I realise that my weight changed nearly every aspect of my life. It made me a much less happy person than I should have been.

Rose's Stats:

	Start	Current
Weight	16st 2lbs	9st 10lbs
BMI	36.5	22.1
Body Fat	37.2%	20.7%
Bust	45"	34"
Waist	39.75"	27"
Hips	46"	34.8"

What Has Been Your Main Motivation For Your Weight Loss?

My main motivation has always been to be healthy, happy and confident again.

However, finding bones and muscles along the way definitely added to that motivation.

I gained even more motivation from silly things such as fitting in the seats on kids’ rides instead of dreading the moment when that metal bar gets stuck on your tummy or when you actually can’t fit your rear into the mouse roller coaster!

The Best Of Weight Loss Resources

I log all my food and have set up all my recipes so that I can easily log them.

I’ve also got a couple of food plans set up to save me time during the working week when I tend to have the same breakfast/lunch combination over and over.

I try and monitor my nutrition profile against the recommended profile, however I think my alcohol % will always be a bit of a problem! 0% alcohol is just not an option for me!

"I also love the goals and results pages. I find it great to be able to track my weight loss and fat % going down."

I can still remember my husband’s incredulous face on the day that I was shrieking about how happy I was to be ‘overweight.’

This, of course, was my BMI and was instead of being ‘obese’. It’s amazing how much all these little things give you a boost along the way.

I also like to use the forums. I’m not a prolific poster but I do read a lot of the posts and will chip in where I have something useful to say or when I need some advice.

"There are some really great people who will go to a lot of trouble to help you find answers to your questions, no matter how bizarre that request might be!"

I love looking at other people’s profiles too, especially those who go to the effort of adding regular updates.

It’s very inspiring to see all those people who look so amazingly different now and looked much like you at the start of their journey!

Why Has wlr Helped You Lose Weight Where Other Diets Have Failed?

I think that this question is all wrong as the reason that wlr has helped me so much is because I have never thought of it as a ‘diet’ but much more as a lifestyle change, something to train me about better habits and about how I can manage my eating without feeling restricted, left out or hungry!

No food is banned and by being realistic about having a fairly sedentary lifestyle (sitting at a desk most days), then I get a fairly low calorie allowance which I then add to hugely with all my ‘earned’ exercise calories.

Most of my social eating tends to be done at weekends, so I like to save a good proportion of my exercise calories so that I can still go out for dinner and have some wine without blowing my week.

"So much of why I failed before, time and time again, was because I had no way of managing the days when I wanted to eat, drink and be merry."

Therefore I would have one ‘bad’ day and think ‘oh well, that’s blown this week’ and before I knew it I’d have blown a month, a year . . .

Now I always try to think of my calorie allowances on a week by week basis. I never go below the 1100 mark for calories but the rest is very fluid.

What Has Kept You Motivated?

I was so terrified about losing motivation or going off track that I was extremely strict for the first 2 or 3 months, which actually wasn’t that hard as I had quite a high calorie allowance then!

Then as the weight came off and the exercise starting paying dividends I found that it was much easier to stay motivated as I just didn’t want to blow all my efforts.

I have also found taking measurements to be very useful. I take more than those that can be plumbed into wlr, but I don’t measure very often.

Therefore, when I have a week where my loss hasn’t been as much as I hoped then I do a measure and the reductions give me the boost to face that week with a smile again and feeling confident that I’m on the right path.

Lifestyle Changes

I have an awful lot more energy, I am happier, healthier and generally a nicer person to be around! My kids tell me that I’m more fun because I do even more mad things!

I actually enjoy cooking now, because I mainly plan in advance there is rarely that ‘what shall I do tonight’ agonising.

"I can shop in ‘normal’ shops!!! I actually enjoy clothes shopping for the first time in many, many, many years."

Nothing gives me as much pleasure as taking clothes into the changing room and actually getting to decide which I like best rather than buy the one thing that sort of fits.

Exercise Changes

I mainly do exercise DVDs as this is what I can fit into my day!

I do a mixture of body pump (weights and squats etc) and some aerobics/boxercise.

I aim to do three fifty minute sessions a week and one ninety minute session (normally on a Saturday to earn extra calories for a nice night out!) I don’t think I’ve ever been this fit, even when I was at school.

I also do about 20-30 minutes walking on Monday to Friday. Handy that the car park is that distance from the office.

What Do You Love About Your Body Now?

I’ve still got a little way to go so I’m not 100% satisfied with any of it yet but I do love having muscle definition in my arms and my legs (good job with leggings back in fashion!).

Rose's Weight Loss Tips

• Always, always log everything, even when you go over. You are much more likely to be back on track the next day if you do.

• Be realistic about your activity level. If you set it too high, you will eat too much and you will not lose and be fed up!
• Stir Fries are a great tea on days when you’ve felt the need to snack!
• Exercise regularly. Not only does it earn you extra calories but it gives you a real buzz and the results just motivate you even more.
• Take the time to weigh everything when you first start out. You’ll be surprised how far off your estimations will be!!
• Use the Members’ Forum. It’s surprising how you can divert yourself from a biscuit moment by going and having a read.
• Find some good recipe books – I used the two ‘Cook Yourself Thin’ books and they were also invaluable.