Laura’s Interview: The ultimate lifestyle change for a 6 stone weight loss*

 Where my Journey began…

*Results may vary. This is not a guarantee

I started thinking about losing weight when my son was about 2 months old (feb 2002). I started going to a slimming club and lost 1.5 stone then due to going back to work couldn’t attend all of the classes so ended up leaving & gaining back the weight I had lost and more. This remained the pattern of progress until May 2008.

At this point ( July 2008 ) my younger sister was getting married & she wanted to lose at least 1 stone prior to the big day so we both vowed to try to achieve that. We would both weigh in on a Tue and let each other know how we had done. By her wedding she had lost her planned 1 stone and I had managed to lose 1.5 stone. She gave up (she planned for this to only be a temporary state) due to her wedding and honeymoon but I felt that I was on a successful roll so continued with the weight loss . By Dec 2008 I got to just less than her and this spurred me on even more to keep going as it was the first time I recalled being lighter than my sister. By now I was determined to rid myself of my extra weight once & for all. By Sept 2011 I had lost 6st. I then had surgery to remove around 0.5 stone of excess skin, but then unfortunately gained 0.5 stone in the recovery period (sept-Dec).

By July 2012 I had finally managed to shift that gain & we enjoyed our first ever family holiday abroad in Florida for 2 weeks. By the time we returned home I had gained 1 stone in weight. Despite numerous efforts (dieting, exercising) I was unable to lose this again by the time my husband and I went on our first holiday ever on our own which was a 2 week Caribbean cruise during May 2013. By the time I returned from this I had gained a further stone. I then spent until Oct 2014 trying most things to lose all of the weight I had gained. Despite training for my first 2 triathlons in summer 2014 Whilst on a low cal, low carb, high protein diet I was still unable to lose anything.

 My weight loss with The New You Plan:

In Oct 2014 I saw an advert on my Facebook news feed for The New You Plan and thought I may as well have a look at it. After going on the website I spoke to my husband about it who said he would support me doing it if it was what I wanted to try. I have not looked back since then.

In May 2008 when at the biggest I was aware of I weighed 16st 10.5lb with a BMI of 40.3 wearing size 22-24 clothes. (At the time I would only admit to needing size 22 but they were tight so should have been wearing a size 24).

In Sept 2011 Prior to my surgery I weighed 10st 10lb with a BMI of 25.7 wearing size 12 clothes.

In Oct 2014 when I started New You Plan I weighed 13st 2lb with a BMI of 31.6 wearing snug size 14 clothes.

Currently (Jan 2015) I weigh 10st 4lb with a BMI of 24.7* (first time ever in my adult life in the ‘healthy’ range) wearing size 10 clothes often with movement room in them. But not fully at my intended target yet.

*Results may vary. This is not a guarantee

Originally my aim had been to improve my looks but now it is also to improve my health.

 Support is key

It is amazing the lovely supportive comments you get from friends. I can shop in so many more places and not have to pay the extortionate prices that ‘ plus size’ shops charge. I can get through smaller gaps ie when the cars are parked close together.

Since starting The New You Plan I have found the support from others following the plan on Secret Slimmers page invaluable. The support from the team at The New You Plan has been amazing. Whether it be confirming queries on the plan, spurring people on or even 1:1 support via messenger/phone calls when losing the plot or momentum. I was on the verge of giving in when my weight loss went on a bit of a go slow but after a call with the team I picked myself back up, dusted myself off and kept going.

 What it takes to get to your goals

I would advise those starting the plan to do it when focused, in the right head space and with no distractions around, ie events. Each evening before going to bed get your packs & water ready for the next day so you can get off to a good start. I found that i was struggling with hunger during the first few days until i hit ketosis it is normal for others to feel the same, in this case maybe have 5 packs instead of four or alternatively use your snacks, then drop to the 4 packs once in ketosis. Increasing your packs may slow your loss slightly to begin with but won’t have as much of a negative effect as your having blips due tp the hunger and delaying reaching ketosis would. Most importantly – keep the reason why you are doing this (whether it be for a wedding, health or whatever) in the forefront of your mind at all times.

I find planning and focus the best thing for keeping on track. Also I am told I am a determined & strong person (bloody minded I say). At times I am my own worst enemy by being hard on myself but at times it can actually be a big help with keeping on track. I also look back at old photos and at my old clothes and become disgusted I ever fitted into them and more determined never to go back there again. Also keep listening to all of the lovely comments from your friends on your progress.

 My typical day on The New You Plan

I tend to have a shake, soup, meal & bar each day. I sometimes have a shake mid morning, then my soup mid afternoon, meal evening and bar before bed. But this can change at times depending on what I am doing during the day. I have done 1 week of just shakes and soups but that was hard as I missed my bars mainly but the fact it was only 1 week prior to my husbands surprise 50th birthday party where I was wearing a dress I had last worn 20 years earliet kept me going. I sometimes make things like the nom noms, savoury crisps, rostis from the packs. I use 750ml bottles for my water. At night I take one upstairs to leave on my bedside cabinet so that I make myself drink one before getting up in the morning. I then have another one and alternate for the rest of the day between plain water and one with the flavourings in. I have one bottle of each of the flavourings and have now added in 3 sachets of pineapple fat burner so now drink a total of over 5 litres of water per day. Also I make my shake up with 500ml and if having the soup as a soup (as apposed to making them into the crisps) I use 400ml of water.

I have not yet done the refeed but will be soon as hopefully will be in target within the next month. I plan to follow the refeed guide but at a slightly slower rate ie each step for 3-4 days before going onto the next step, as in the past i have been aware my body responds somewhat differently to others. I will also join the refeed/maintainers Facebook page during this period.

I was exercising 1-2hrs 5-6 days a week in summer 2014 whilst training for my triathlons. As it is off season and doing the plan I currently have reduced my level of training to 1hr hard pt (personal trainer) session x 2 and some less intense (by my usual standards) sessions x 2 a week. I have my snack just before my pt sessions and a 5th pack in the evening to balance out my calories due to the level of training to avoid going into starvation mode. This is often when I have my nom noms. I hope to be at target by end of Feb 2015 so I can refeed and increase my level of exercise back up to intense levels ready for the triathlons I have entered into for summer 2015. At a size 22-24 I wouldn’t do any exercise let alone enter into things like half marathons and triathlons.

[box type=”tick” style=”rounded” border=”full”]My favourite products are the bars and the snacks and I like the hazelnut shake.[/box]

I would highly recommend this system to anyone. The support is great from staff and others following the plan. Order one of the taster packs to see which products you like so that you can order more of what you like to help you stay on plan. And think outside of the box and be creative with the plan as variety is best to avoid getting fed up & giving in.

Even the impossible can become possible. I had spent years hoping to get to a size 14, a size 12 was a dream, never did I ever think I would be wearing size 10 let alone needing a belt for them and fitting into the occasional size 8s.

I had spent 3yrs trying to shift the weight I had regained, getting more and more down and cross with myself and was virtually ready to give up all hope when I found this plan and my dreams and hopes have not only become a reality but have even been surpassed.

Thanks for reading
Laura

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