I threw away my scales and reached my goal!
Kellie Collins Wendy was the classic yo-yo dieter. She’d tried all the main diet plans and would lose weight, then treat herself, gain weight, eat even more...the scales ruled her life and she never seemed to be off them. It was a vicious circle. Sound familiar?
It can be easy to get stuck in a never-ending dieting pattern like Wendy did. She thought that losing weight would solve all her problems. But then she realised that no matter what problems were going on in her life, they would still be there no matter what she weighed. So she decided to lose weight for herself and now, 1 st 10 lbs lighter and an avid Low-Carb Plan fan, she’s delighted! Wendy also got rid of her scales for a while as she had almost become obsessed with them.
“After a holiday at the end of 2004, I weighed 10 st 13 lbs. I began the Low-Carb Plan by myself and then joined this online weight loss programme a few days later weighing in at 10 st 10 lbs. A year later, I went on another holiday weighing 8 st 12. So in total, I’ve lost 1 st 12 lbs and dropped from a BMI of 27 to a healthy BMI of 22.”
So, did Wendy have a turning point that made her decide to lose the weight once and for all? “I’ve had turning points all my life when things weren’t going right, and I thought losing weight would solve all my problems and life would be a bunch of roses. A big problem I had was that I wasn’t happy in myself. I’d diet, lose weight and feel great. But then I’d have one little treat, step on the scales the next day and find that I’d sabotaged all the good work from the previous week so what would I do? Eat even more. Then come the feelings of self-worthlessness and a complete lack of self-confidence.”
“Eventually I realised that I had to lose weight for ME! So that’s exactly what I did. I knew Low-Carb Plan worked for me but I needed like-minded dieters for help and support and that’s exactly what I got here, online. I joined up initially for a short period, but then I extended my membership by a year because I loved the online support so much!”
As a result of her new figure, Wendy feels great about herself. “I have tons more energy and my self-confidence had returned. I’m certainly not as self-conscious and shy about my body anymore. Because I feel good on the inside, I look good outside, and people notice! I get smiles from strangers that I never used to get before, men offer me their seats on the tube…it’s things like this that really make it worthwhile.”
Following the Low-Carb Plan didn’t cause any problems for Wendy. “I’d done a Low-Carb Plan before, have all the books, and felt pretty confident that I’d be able to follow it with no problems, knowing that I could check with my Low-Carb Plan buddies online if I had any queries. I feel like I’ve made a whole new group of friends and we all have such a big thing (no pun intended!) in common.
“I don’t have carb cravings anymore – I don’t eat rice, bread or potatoes and I don’t miss them at all! When I fancy something nice now, believe it or not, it’s linseed! I bake it after mixing it with some sesame oil and soy sauce and it is scrumptious! It also really helps with the digestive system as it’s so high in fibre.”
Despite not telling anyone she was following a diet plan, people haven’t failed to notice Wendy’s success. “When people comment on my weight loss or tell me I look great, I smile back and thank them. But deep down, I’m ecstatic! I’m just so proud that I stuck to it this time, and really feel that I’ve finally cracked it.”
And Wendy’s top tip for success? “Personally I found that getting rid of my scales for a couple of months was the best thing I did. I used to be almost obsessed by them. First thing in the morning, after going to the loo, after work, before bed…I remember posting a note on the Low-Carb support board about scales lying. Weight can fluctuate so much from hour to hour, nevermind day to day, so it’s better to use your clothes, inch loss and how good you feel about yourself to indicate your success!”
Wendy’s right – and she should know!
