My main reason for wanting to lose weight was that I’d booked tickets for Glastonbury music festival, and I knew there’d be a lot of walking. We had a family summer wedding to look forward to as well, where I knew I’d see a lot of friends and acquaintances.
Why did I choose LighterLife?
I’d tried various diets over the years, some more than once, as well as medications, exercise, and “muscle” food. I’d also lost weight with LighterLife once before, but didn’t go on to the Management plan so put it back on again.
This time around I knew I’d lose weight quickly and it was an easy programme to follow – 4 Foodpacks a day, no calorie counting, it takes away all the effort of trying to eat healthily by yourself.
And the weekly meetings were so helpful, everyone was very supportive and my Mentor, Natalie, asked thoughtful questions and helped me change my mindset and views on food.
Mentoring and Mindfulness
Being a counsellor as well as a Mentor, I think Natalie had a great understanding of the factors behind emotional eating and being overweight.
The weekly CBT Mindfulness sessions made it much easier for me to get back on track whenever I ate off plan. They gave me some accountability and made me question my previous excuses for giving up.
Outside of Natalie’s weekly sessions, her WhatsApp group and the LighterLife TotalFast Client Community Facebook group have been good for asking questions, or when someone else asks something you wanted to ask yourself.
Following the plan
During my first few days on TotalFast I did feel tired and a little headachey, and there were frequent trips to the toilet, although that did ease up towards the end of the week. And I knew I needed to stick to plan otherwise I’d come out of ketosis.
The fast weight loss was so motivating though, and I started feeling so much better very quickly.
After starting TotalFast in March 2024, with a couple of breaks along the way, by the end of February 2025 my weight loss was 43.6kg (6st 9lbs).
What’s changed for me now that I’ve lost my weight?
The health benefits I’ve experienced include lower blood pressure, my resting heart rate has come down significantly, and I trialled a Libre with work and there were no significant spikes in blood sugar levels whilst on the programme.
I’m so excited to have been able to start riding again with my daughter (which just wasn’t possible before due to the weight restrictions). I’ve also started the Couch to 5k again, which has felt much easier than during previous attempts when I weighed significantly more.
I’ve had to replace the majority of my wardrobe, right down to my swimwear and underwear. I’ve even treated myself to clothes from brands that never used to fit me before.
And I’ve just got a new job so my confidence has increased massively. Now I can cut my own toenails, and go up and down a flight of stairs without getting out of breath. And my husband can pick me up again!
What have I learned?
The choices I made whenever I came off plan are a good reflection of how it will be when I get to my goal – I’ve learned I’m capable of sticking with this.
What I’d say to anyone thinking about starting LighterLife.
You can fit it around any lifestyle if you really want to. If you come off plan, get back on it as soon as you can. And if you eat something you shouldn’t, you’ll know it really won’t be worth it.
