If I can do it, anyone can
Nutrition Team Sharon could never quite find the perfect diet for her, but then she discovered the Gi diet plan. Sharon lost 1 stone 8 lbs and changed her lifestyle. Now she is happier, slimmer and fitter than she has been for years.
Read on for her story…
What made you decide to join us?
A photograph of me on holiday in Portugal, when I saw it I signed up for the Gi diet plan straight away.
Have you previously tried any other diets and were they successful?
I’ve tried most weight loss plans, but found them all too faddy. This is a change of lifestyle as opposed to a diet and it fits in around the family. It teaches me to eat healthily as opposed to losing weight on shakes etc.
How much weight have you lost?
I am a size 12 or 14 on the bottom half now, rather than a large size 16. I do a lot of swimming so have swimmers shoulders and don’t think I will ever be any smaller on the top half, but I have toned up.
Has exercise played any part in helping you to lose weight?
I was the original couch potato and did no exercise whatsoever. When I first started in 2006, I was going to the gym for half an hour, just doing gentle exercise. Now I can do 50 lengths of the pool after a longer session in the gym.
Did your weight cause you any problems?
I hated being fat. I would put clothes on and then feel really depressed because they did not look right on me.
Has losing weight improved your quality of life?
My confidence has gone through the roof and I can now wear clothes I want to wear and not what fits. Only last week, I bought a pair of size 12 trousers in the sale and it felt so good.
How has your health improved?
I suffer with mild asthma; with the regime of exercise and weight loss, I feel like I have built up my lung capacity and now have a better peak flow and I can walk further without getting out of breath.
Have you enjoyed the diet programme?
Yes, most of the plans worked brilliantly for me. I have to say the thing that has kept me focused for so long has been the Support Groups. They are like a lifeline, especially when I am having a bad week.
Tell us about your diet before you joined us, and how has your diet changed as a result?
Portion sizes were always my problem. Now I realise I don’t have to have a full plate of food and in fact, use smaller plates.
Do you feel confident about maintaining your weight loss?
I have reached my target twice and gone back up again. I am realistic enough to know that it will always fluctuate, but if I am sensible, I can keep to within 4lbs or 5lbs of my ideal weight.
Any tips or comments you would like to give to other dieters?
It has probably been said many times before, but if I can do it, anyone can. This is not a diet, it is a change of lifestyle and you have to be committed to it, but the plans are great, and the support is even better. Everyone has to start somewhere, and it doesn’t matter if you have 10 stone to lose or 2 stone like me, it can be done. My motto is “You didn’t put on weight overnight, you will not lose it overnight”. There is no quick fix, you have to learn to be patient, but a slow loss is more likely to be a sustainable loss.
