2 stone loss and picture proud!
Laura McLoughlin Shelagh was planning a trip of a lifetime to the hot Texas sun for a wedding in the summer of 2008. However there were two problems. The first was when she saw herself in photos she did not like how she looked and the second was that July would be particularly hot in Texas and she did not want to be carrying any excess weight. These problems spurred her on to join our online dieting site. So, with a BMI of 30 and weighing 11 stone 9lbs she signed up to our Gi plan and set the wedding date as her goal.
In the first few weeks Shelagh was disappointed as her weight loss was slow but she soon came to the realisation that slow and steady weight loss was easier to maintain.
“At first I was disappointed but came to think of the long term journey of weight loss as an ideal way to completely change my eating patterns”.
Shelagh had always been encouraged from childhood to eat everything on her plate even if she was full and had often found herself eating only 2 meals a day. With our diet plans and weekly feedback from our staff she managed to change the way she eats and now she sticks religiously to 3 meals a day.
“For breakfast I might have egg on toast or a fruit yoghurt and toast. For lunch I have a chicken wrap and for dinner there are more vegetables on my plate then chicken”. Quite cleverly Shelagh bought smaller plates so that she would have more control over her portion sizes!
Soon after she started to lose weight Shelagh bought an exercise video and aimed to do it 3 times during the week. This left her weekends free to relax with her friends and family who were really supportive and encouraged her with kind compliments. It has taken her a while to get through to her Mum but she is getting there. “When I used to visit my mum she would pile my plate with calorie rich tasty meals so now I visit less for dinner and more at lunch. Slowly she is getting the message”.
Between exercising and changing her eating patterns Shelagh finally reached 9 stone 8lbs a year later having lost just over 2 stone. She feels very proud of herself “When I used to go out I looked like a square. Now I have curves. When I look at myself in the mirror I am happy with what I see. I don’t mind having my picture taken now”.
Shelagh tried various diets in the past including a well known Low Carb plan which worked for a while but she found it impossible to maintain. “Once I introduced carbs back into my diet I regained my weight and more.” When she went shopping she insisted on buying size 14 clothes even though she was bursting out of them. “I used to complain that they were making clothes smaller to fit the size 6-8 group which was why I couldn’t get anything to fit me”.
Now Shelagh at 9 stone 7lbs is a svelte size 12 and has never felt more comfortable in front of the camera however she is still realistic with her goals “I know I will have times when I fall off the wagon but considering it took me over a year to get to this point then I cant see me being silly and staying off the wagon”.
Finally, Shelagh has a few pointers which she found were essential for her weight loss and may inspire fellow dieters out there.
1.Drink plenty of water – aim for 2L a day.
2.Get an exercise video for a cardiovascular work out.
3.Do not get disappointed when you reach a plateau - just increase your exercise and keep going.
4.Make room for treats. A little bit of chocolate every now and again keeps you on the right track!
