My Weight Loss Story - 2012
Reasons for weight loss NOW
My weight has been up and down over the
years but I realised that the overall trend has been more up than down!
Seriously, in my 20s I weighed 9 stone something, in my 30s it crept up to a
regular 10 stone something and in my 40s - consistent if nothing else - I
regularly weighed in at 11 stone something.
This year, I procrastinated for a long time
before deciding, almost by accident, to do something about it.
It started when a colleague announced that
she was giving up alcohol for Lent. I decided to do the same - quite a big
decision because I really like my beer. And wine. And pina colada. I think you
get the picture.
I knew that laying off the booze for a few
weeks would result in some weight loss (providing I didn't substitute every
beer with a donut), so I decided to use it as a kick start. I got weighed and
found I was 11st 8lb, the heaviest I'd ever been. In the past I've found that
before I can make a change, it really has to get bad enough first. Seeing 11st
8lb on the scales was my "bad enough" moment!
I could easily list plenty of reasons to
lose a few pounds. Mainly fitness - I enjoy running and had a half-baked idea
about completing a half-marathon before I'm 50 (I've just turned 49). Surely
this would be more achievable if I carried less fat around.
A particularly difficult run at Binbrook
was pretty motivating too. I blamed the heat, the hills and the fact that it
was the furthest I'd run at the time. No doubt all those factors played a part,
but I don't suppose being a stone or so overweight helped.
I also enjoy cycling, but that had become
distinctly uncomfortable. General health was another consideration. I'm lucky
to be pretty healthy, with low blood pressure and low cholesterol, but perhaps
as I approach 50 I shouldn't take that for granted.
Why I initially kept quiet about trying to lose weight
I was very open about my alcohol embargo
for Lent. I'm a stubborn so-n-so once I set my mind to something, but I needed
plenty of people to know about it so that I would feel accountable!
Although accountability helps to motivate
me, I kept quiet for quite some time about actively trying to lose weight
because I know from past experience that I have a tendency to become a diet
bore. I didn't want other people to be sick of hearing about it - I didn't want
to be sick of hearing myself going on about it!
So I joined a Slimming World group outside
the area where I live and work, and just got going with it.
Why I chose Slimming World
I don't like the thought of
"dieting", although I believe diets work. The problem with being
"on a diet" is the implication that at some point we'll come
"off the diet".
It seems obvious to me: if I'm steadily
gaining weight eating pizza, chips and cake, then switch to completely
different eating habits, I'll probably lose weight. If I then go back to the
pizza, chips and cake, I'll probably regain it.
I didn't want anything that cut out whole
food groups, and I certainly didn't fancy a liquid diet or meal replacements -
I love my food too much!
I knew the principles of healthy eating.
What I needed was some structure and, again, accountability.
I'd dabbled with Slimming World before and
had lost weight, but eventually returned to old habits and put it back on. I'd
also tried online membership but never really got going with it.
What I did know was that its eating plan
suited me. There was a wide variety of "Free" food, measured amounts
of foods containing calcium and fibre as "Healthy Extras", and treats
weren't banned but limited using their "Syn" values. It felt like
something I could actually live with.
So in March 2012 I took the plunge and
joined a group.
I lost 3lb in my first week, another 3lb in
the second and 2lb in the third. After that it settled down and varied from
week to week, including occasional weeks when I stayed the same or gained a
little.
I lost a stone fairly quickly but didn't
look dramatically different or even drop a dress size, although running and
cycling certainly seemed easier. After I'd lost about 1½ stone my shape seemed
to change more noticeably.
Eventually I lost another half stone and
felt comfortable at 9st 8lb - a total loss of 2 stone in 24 weeks, averaging
just under 1lb a week.
A setback
About halfway through all this I fell off
my cycle and injured my foot. I spent just over three weeks in a pot followed
by another four weeks of rest.
It was frustrating because I couldn't
exercise and I worried about regaining weight. Of course, I also had to get
weighed wearing the pot and the first week produced an "apparent"
gain of 6lb! Some - perhaps most - of that was the pot. It was rather nice
losing all that and more when the pot came off!
My weight fluctuated strangely while my
foot was swollen and I gradually became mobile again, but it all steadied out
in the end.
Trying to make the best of a bad job, I
took to lifting dumbbells every day so at least my bingo wings got a bit of
toning. Eventually I was able to start swimming and then cycling again.
As at August 2012, I haven't yet been able
to resume running - but that's probably another story! I still have my mind set
on running a half-marathon before I'm 50. I just haven't worked out the plan of
action yet.
Why I eventually told people
It was weeks after I'd joined Slimming
World, and after I'd already lost more than a stone, that I "came out of
the slimming closet" to a couple of close friends.
By the time I'd lost 2 stone, though,
everyone was noticing - especially at work. I'd been off for seven weeks with
my foot injury, so people who hadn't seen me for a while probably noticed the
difference more.
Quite a few people asked how I'd done it
because they wanted to lose weight themselves. I knew how much better I felt,
so of course I wanted to tell them if it might help.
Maintenance
I reached 9st 8lb eight weeks ago. As a
Slimming World "Target Member", I can continue attending free of
charge provided I remain within 3lb either side of my target weight.
I'm still broadly following the same eating
plan, but with a little more flexibility. Nothing is completely banned and the
3lb window allows for the odd over-indulgence or relaxed weekend.
I feel really well, have plenty of energy,
cycling and swimming are easier and I think I look much better. So I've got
plenty of reasons to maintain it.
For now I plan to keep weighing in weekly,
then perhaps move to fortnightly and eventually monthly when I feel I can trust
myself without the weekly weigh-in.
Why did I decide to write this?
As much as I worry about becoming a
"diet bore", people keep asking how I did it and a few have even said
they've been inspired by my success (I'm blushing a bit at this!).
So I thought I'd write it all down and
share it with anyone who's interested.
I was also really pleased to have lost the
weight before my best friend's birthday party. It was a "Night at the
Oscars", with the dress code "Hollywood Best, or Favourite Actor,
past or present".
So here I am, 2 stone lighter and all
glammed up!
Facts and figures
Starting
weight: 11st 8lb - 27 February 2012
End
weight: 9st 8lb - 7 August 2012
Total
weight loss: 2 stone in 24 weeks
Absolutely fabulously inspirational! X
ReplyDeleteThanks Annette. Glad you liked it :o) You are always lovely and slim though :o)
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