Thanks to LighterLife, Jennifer Circuitt has lost 6 stone* and is living the life she always wanted. Here, she reveals how losing weight gave her the strength she needed to love herself again…
When did your issues with your weight start?
“When I was a teenager. I wasn’t very popular in school, and I was bigger than the other children. Eventually, at the age of 15, my low self-esteem led to some form of eating disorder – although undiagnosed. I went on Easter holidays one year and just decided not to eat. I’d cycle my bike every day and fool my parents into thinking I’d eaten by brushing the crumbs off a piece of bread onto a plate. This behaviour was the catalyst for my eating issues later in life.”
What contributed to your weight gain?
“As I moved on from school to college, I eventually started to eat normally again. When I met my husband, I put a bit of weight back on; I was happy and in love, and my issues surrounding my weight became a second thought. I soon fell pregnant and put on over 2st. When my little boy, Ethan, was born I was so happy, but at the same time my life had completely changed. I was a bit down in the dumps, and I ate lots of chocolate and drank a lot of Pepsi. The weight just piled on.”
How did your weight gain affect your life?
“When my husband proposed in 2008, I joined Slimming World to lose weight in time for the wedding. I weighed just over 16st and managed to lose 3st in a year – which wasn’t easy. Once my wedding day had been and gone, I no longer had an incentive to keep the weight off, and I gradually put it all back on again. I’d hide under baggy jumpers and loose-fitting clothes to mask my appearance and insecurities. I breed Dogue de Bordeaux dogs and show them. I’d get so out of breath running around with them at the showground, and my knees would be in so much pain from the weight I was carrying.”
When did you decide to join LighterLife?
“I happened to catch Pauline Quirke on ‘This Morning’ talking about her weight loss. When she revealed it was LighterLife that helped her lose it – I had previously presumed she had a gastric band – I immediately looked up LighterLife on the internet, and decided I wanted to do it. It took me six months to pull myself together and make that call to my local LighterLife Counsellor, but I’m so glad I did. I started the Total programme in March 2012, and I’ve never looked back.”
How did you find your LighterLife group?
“My LighterLife counselling sessions were an important part of my weight-loss success. Seeing others in the same situation as me gave me comfort, and those who were further along in their journey were an inspiration. My Counsellor, Helen Graham, was so supportive, and she helped me every step of the way. I lost 6st in seven months and had never felt so good about myself – and, thanks to the group work, I’ve finally banished my issues with food and overeating.”
How are you enjoying life now?
“Thanks to LighterLife, life has never been better. I feel like an emotional weight has been lifted. My husband, Matt, has noticed a complete change in my personality and that I’m a lot happier now. When I go to the dog shows, I have people telling me how great I look and I can run around after the dogs without getting out of breath – I have so much more energy! The most rewarding compliment I’ve received since losing weight was from my son, Ethan. He said: ‘You are so beautiful, Mummy.’ Hearing these words meant the world to me. Life is good, and if there’s one thing that spurs me on to keep control of my weight, it’s the smile from the person staring back at me in the mirror.”
*Each of our client’s results and stories are unique to them and their experience of LighterLife. Your own results will be personal to you and may vary.
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