How I lost weight and what happened next…

 

I did try various diets while I was at Uni, and had success with Atkins, Lighter Life and Slimming World, but as is usual with diets, the weight came back on as soon as I stopped following the plan. I was very self-conscious of my weight, but trapped in a cycle of self-loathing and overeating.

At my 21st Birthday party in 2005

After graduating in 2006, I decided it was really time to tackle my weight. I was working in the fashion industry and hated not being able to wear fashionable clothes. I found it difficult to shop, my size 18 clothes were becoming tighter and tighter, and I was reluctant to go up another size into a 20. I decided to give Weight Watchers a try- it was the only slimming club I had never been to.

I found that something about the Weight Watchers programme really clicked with me. The weight started to come off easily- I didn’t feel deprived or find the plan difficult to follow. I guess the biggest changes I made to my lifestyle were:

-Cutting down on my alcohol intake– I used to drink several times a week at Uni, these days I rarely drink at all. Cutting out those empty calories made a huge difference to my weight.
-Planning my meals– I started to get a proper structure to my eating with 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Glen and I started writing out meal plans for the week ahead, so that we knew exactly what we would eat every day.
-Experimenting with new foods and recipes- I bought a load of WW recipe books and magazines, and Glen worked his way through every recipe. We were introduced to so many foods I’d never tried before- avocado, lentils, figs, chorizo, gnocchi, butternut squash, quinoa were just some of the foods which were new to me. I also began experimenting with adding more vegetables to meals- I’d never been a bit fan of anything green, but I gradually began to enjoy healthier foods. 
-Weighing and measuring my foods– I started to weigh my portions and was surprised that I’d been eating double or triple the recommended portion size!
-Tracking everything I ate– Writing down everything I ate and drank, and keeping a tally of my WW points allowance was really key to me getting in control of my eating. 

Within about 18 months of attending weekly meetings, I’d lost 5 stone (70lbs or 31kg), gone from a size 18-20 to a size 12. I’d gone down a shoe size and my engagement ring had been reduced by 5 sizes. I dyed my hair blonde and bought loads of new clothes! On October 2009, I received my Weight Watchers gold card- a proud moment!

I’m not sure that blonde hair suited me!

I’m often asked if I exercised to help my weight loss, and the answer is that I while I was losing weight I did gentle exercise only twice a week. I attended bellydancing classes and Body Balance (yoga/pilates/tai chi) weekly, but both were mainly for my enjoyment rather than to assist my weight loss. 

At a bellydancing show

I only really got into fitness properly once I had been at goal weight for a year. The story of how I got fit is for another time and another blog post! 

My family, friends and colleagues were all amazed and inspired by my weight loss. I was asked to become a Weight Watchers leader, but decided to help as a volunteer weighing in members at my local meeting.

With my leader Sue at our Saturday morning meeting

Weight Watchers magazine featured me as a success story in their September 2011 issue. It was fantastic being pampered and photographed for the article. My photo was also used as a promotional poster in meetings throughout the UK- it was strange walking into meetings and seeing myself everywhere!

From my Weight Watchers photoshoot

A year after reaching goal, I married my partner of 8 years in size 10 wedding dress…

Getting honest…

I must admit that reaching goal weight was a bit of an anti-climax. I had a vision of how my life would be once I had lost 5 stone, and I was disappointed to find that in fact nothing in life had changed other than the size in my clothing. I was still insecure, still lacked confidence and still had the same problems as before. I still had demons with food. I also was not prepared for the amount of loose skin which had settled on my stomach. I even went for a consultation for a tummy tuck and liposuction, but the £8200 price tag made the decision for me to not proceed with the surgery.

It sounds strange but I was struggled to recognise myself after I’d lost 5 stone. People told me I’d had such a dramatic transformation, but in my eyes I still looked and felt fat. I went into clothes shops and would reach for a size 18, when I was in fact a size 12. It took a while for my brain to catch up to my body!

My answer to the feeling of disappointment was to lose more weight. I lost another 10lbs, and went down to clothing size 8-10. At this point, I became a bit obsessed with the  pursuit of a certain number on the BMI scale- I obsessively weighed myself, measured my food and completely cut out sugar from my diet. I believed that I would only be happy if I lost another 10lbs, then another 10lbs… it was a dangerous slope to be on. My friends and family told me I had gotten too thin, but I just believed that they were jealous!