As a Practice Nurse who deals a lot with respiratory issues, I realised my increasing breathlessness and lethargy was down to my weight impacting my health. And I found it very hard talking to people about what they should be doing to improve their health when I wasn’t taking action myself.
I had two horses in the past and a very active outdoor lifestyle. But when my husband became unwell, I had to rehome my horses and suddenly found myself having to spend long hours at home. I was bored and started baking to pass the time, so obviously the cakes and biscuits and sedentary lifestyle had a huge impact on my weight.
Why did I choose LighterLife?
Having successfully lost weight with LighterLife 10 years ago, although I didn’t do the Management plan at the time, I maintained my weight loss until 2021. So, I knew how easy the programme is, and how delicious the Foodpacks are. And this time around, I recognised I also needed the support.
Following the plan
I started TotalFast on 22 January 2024 and lost 4 stone 4 pounds in four months, after which I moved onto the Management plan.
I was hungry for the first couple of days but once ketosis kicked in I actually had to set an alarm to remind me to stop and eat! I had an enormous amount of energy and was able to start exercising, and increase the level of exercise fairly rapidly. This in turn helped promote even more weight loss.
My go-to Foodpacks were the Porridge Fast Pots – they set me up for the day and sustained me until well past lunchtime.
How did having a Mentor and our CBT Mindfulness activities help?
I could not have done it without my Mentor, Tracey. She kept me on plan despite some particularly harrowing family health crises. Tracey helped me understand why I’d been overeating and enabled me to manage difficult situations without turning to comfort / boredom eating.
I was able to attend meetings fairly regularly to begin with, and I found them really helpful, and it was really useful to share experiences with others. Unfortunately, as my husband’s health worsened, it became more difficult to attend regularly.
The one to one calls with Tracey were a lifesaver, I really looked forward to that contact. She called every week and provided support and insight. Most importantly, she never made me feel I had failed, even when my weight loss slowed. Tracey explained why this might have happened and reassured me it would pick up again (it did, and she celebrated every pound lost with me).
I realised that, due to the increased exercise, I was losing inches more than weight for a couple of weeks, but I never had a week when I lost less than a pound, and most weeks it was around 3 pounds.
I also had a lot of support from my friends and family.
What can I do now that I couldn’t do before losing weight?
Losing weight has transformed my life. My confidence has increased, I’m taking more care of my appearance, I have my nails done regularly, I have a new hairstyle and I’m wearing makeup. My family are really happy for me and my husband loves my new look.
Caring for my husband is easier too, I’m fitter and stronger, and I’ve also joined a walking club. I feel better able to cope with other challenges now as, having been successful in my weight loss, I feel I can face anything life throws at me.
I’ve taken on a new job role that means I’m in an office full of people everyday. And I’m confident and happy to take on a more visible role, including Zoom and face-to-face meetings.
My new lighter life
I love wearing my new clothes. I do a lot of dressmaking but never bothered to make clothes for myself in the past as I felt I wasn’t worth it. The only clothes I felt comfortable in were big and baggy.
Now I wear a lot of fitted clothes and my confidence has soared. I love deciding what I’m going to wear to walk the dog instead of donning tracksuit bottoms and a baggy sweater. Usually it’s jeans and fitted shirts or exercise gear. I was a size 18-20 and I’m now a size 10-12. family.
What have I learned that will help me keep my weight off long term?
I’m now able to understand what triggers my binge eating and Tracey has helped me to devise strategies to overcome this. I realised I hadn’t been drinking enough either and, by maintaining good hydration levels, I felt full and ate less.
Boredom eating is an easy trap to fall into and I manage temptation by keeping busy (usually taking a walk or sewing). I started walking the dog more and what had seemed to be a chore suddenly started to be enjoyable. As I lost weight, my breathlessness resolved and I was able to walk further.
Tracey’s advice, “Don’t say that you can’t eat something but that you choose not to have it at this time,” is my mantra.
Shirley’s Top Tip
I’d encourage anyone who’s thinking of joining LighterLife to do it as the health benefits are huge but, more importantly, it is truly life changing.
My trick for staying on plan is to ensure you drink plenty. Exercise as much as possible and make sure you reward your achievement regularly with a nail treatment or something you will enjoy doing.
Tracey’s advice, “Don’t say that you can’t eat something but that you choose not to have it at this time,” is my mantra.
