Welsh-Weigh works - read our success stories
Just
3 years ago, petite 60 year old Janet weighed 14 stone, smoked 20
cigarettes a day, and was so unfit that walking up the slightest hill was
difficult. Not surprisingly she was also suffering from low self-esteem and
depression.
Pressure from her 15 year old grandson made her decide to give up smoking last
September, which she achieved with the enormous support of the practise nurse
from her local Doctors surgery.
As soon as she stopped smoking Janet felt better - cleaner and healthier, and she wanted to carry this a step further. The practise nurse encouraged her to participate in the 12 week Exercise For Life programme by asking her Doctor to refer her.
At the end of this period Janet was assessed and pronounced fit, and now felt that the only thing left to tackle was her weight - she wanted to look as good as she felt.
Having tried many diets in the past without success, Janet joined the Welsh-Weigh meeting in Aberaeron in April 2005, realising that the only way to lose weight and keep it off was through sensible eating for life, not faddy diets. She found that calorie counting enabled her to eat in the way that suited her, and by the end of August she had lost over 2 stone. Janet now walks everyday, feels fit, energetic and confident, and really has turned her life around at 60!
January 2004 and my New Years resolution was, as usual, to lose weight especially as the following January would be my 40th Birthday. I didn't want to be fat and forty! I thought I could tackle my weight loss on my own and it took until the end of April to admit defeat, after only losing a grand total of 4lbs, and go to my first Welsh-Weigh meeting in Abercych. That first meeting took some courage, but I did it! The scales registered at 15 ½ stone, I knew I had a big task ahead.
Luckily I knew Sharon, and with her help, advice and support I knew I could and would lose weight. She encouraged me to aim for small goals, so off I went and lost 4 ½ lb in the first week, and ½ stone by three weeks, and it felt good!
The calorie counting was fairly easy and I soon learnt which were the best foods with the lower calories - I like a big plateful! Fruit and vegetables were my life savers - homemade soups, stews, curries and stir-fries, large salads and plenty of fresh fruit made a big difference, not just to me but also to my whole family.
I spent more time planning the meals for the week, and I shopped more carefully, reading the calorie content on food labels. I do slip up sometimes (no one is perfect!) but I work out the calories, write it down and think carefully about what I eat next. One hiccup is not the end of the world. By the summer I had lost 2 ½ stone and was feeling good about myself and other people had started to notice; compliments are the best form of encouragement!
Sharon advocates exercise along with diet, and as I'm not one for the gym, I started walking and exploring the foot paths around the village. The family joined in and even the dog lost weight!
Other differences I noticed were my increased energy levels, my legs didn't rub together any more, my hair and skin were in better condition, and I no longer created a 'dam' in the bath as my bulk decreased! I lost weight steadily, and by January 2005 I had lost 5 stone. In February 2005 I reached my goal weight of 10 stone 3lbs, and attended a friends wedding in a size 12 outfit - it felt great! I am learning how to maintain my goal weight, and will continue to go to a weekly weigh-in as I'm sure that the accountability of being weighed each week keeps you on the slim path.
I'd like to thank Sharon and all the other slimming ladies in Abercych for their continuous support and encouragement, as without them I'd still be trying to lose weight and believe me;
Nothing tastes as good as being slim!
I had been a yo-yo dieter for years trying one diet after another, and each time putting all the weight back on and more. Things came to a head however in May 2004 when I was diagnosed with cancer. After a successful operation, and during convalescence I put on yet another stone. I then saw an article in the local newspaper about Welsh-Weigh, and was interested by the fact that they did a Body Stat Test to monitor body fat percentage, muscle mass, hydration levels and metabolic rate, as well as weight.
After much thought I made a phone call to Welsh-Weigh Consultant Kerry, and
joined my local meeting in Aberaeron the following day.
I found the diet was about healthy eating with the aid of calorie counting, and
at first I was not sure if I could manage to count calories. However, I told
myself that if I could beat cancer, I could do anything.
15 months later I had lost 60 lbs in weight, and have found counting calories
no problem at all. In fact, I do not consider myself to be on a diet, more a
healthy way of eating which will stay with me for life and which has enabled me
to go from a size 20 to a size 14 with a steady controlled weight loss.
My weight had always been about 9
stone until I stopped smoking 17 years ago. As my taste buds returned and
everything tasted so much better, I began to eat more. Unfortunately the type of
food I ate was full of fat and sugar, chocolates and biscuits, and I ballooned
to 11 ½ stone. An eptopic pregnancy caused even more weight to go on and I
was told this may affect my chances of another pregnancy unless I did something
about it.
I initially lost a stone, but then seemed to get stuck. So I joined Welsh-Weigh in November 2003 and got to my goal weight of 9 stone 10 lbs in October 2004.
By eating healthily and sensibly I have now maintained my goal weight for 4 years, which I have never achieved before. I am able to eat normally with the family and do not feel that I am on a diet at all. Sensible eating is enjoyable, and because I do not feel deprived I know I will be able to maintain my weight loss by eating like this for life.
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After I gave up smoking the weight piled on and it really got me down. I couldn't get into any of my clothes and I
did not feel good at all. I tried many different diets but found I couldn't stick to any of them so nothing helped.
I joined Welsh-Weigh in February 2005 and found their principles really worked for me. I found counting calories easy. I kept a diary of everything I ate each week and the weight started to come off.
I found after a few months I had completely changed my way of eating - I would choose to eat healthily rather than snacking on crisps and cakes. Drinking plenty of water also helped
I feel great now after losing 2 stone and have confidence where I didn't have before. I couldn't have done it without the support of Kerry and the rest of my Welsh-Weigh group. A year later I still keep a food diary and am still enjoying going to the weekly Welsh-Weigh meeting
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My new years resolution in 2004 was to try and get fit after
my redundancy and possibly lose some weight. I went to the gym for two months
but was horrified to find I was gaining weight! It was this that drove me to
join Welsh-Weigh and get some professional advice from Kerry. It seems that
exercise builds muscle and that's what caused the weight gain. Kerry persuaded
me to try her sensible eating plan, although I assured her that I couldn't lose
weight as I'd tried unsuccessfully all my adult life. When asked how much weight
I wanted to lose I remember saying that 1lb would be nice.
One week later I'd lost 2 ½ lbs and it just went on from there, with a steady loss of 1lb a week until I reached my goal on December 14th. I lost over 2 stone in 8 ½ months. The best part was going to a buffet lunch the day I got to goal and apologising for being late as I'd been to my slimming club. The hostess looked me up and down and remarked haughtily "you don't need to slim" Brilliant!
It's good to be able to wear clothes with waists again and not bulge over all my waistbands. I feel I am much fitter and I can now climb very steep hills with no effort and hardly get out of breath.
Welsh-Weigh proved to be such a learning curve; my ideal
weight is at least a stone heavier that I had always believed it to be
following weight charts in magazines. I have found it easy to carry on with the
plan and 14 months later I am still more or less at goal. This is because I like
what I eat and have got used to substituting low-cal foods for what I used to
eat without really noticing - except on the scales.
Kerry is a committed and inspirational teacher and I still go to meetings (free of charge now so long as I stay within 5lbs of goal). I met some really nice people and we all support one another and have a laugh.
Losing weight has been the best thing I have ever done!
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In October 2005 I went to a family wedding weighing over 24 stone and unable to
find a suit to wear that fitted me. In spite of this, I still carried on with my
normal intake of about ten thousand calories a day, consisting of McDonalds for
breakfast, a huge bowl of chips every evening, 10 slices of bread and butter
with cheese, and 8 packets of crisps to keep me going between meals!
In January 2006 however I decided that enough was enough and resolved to lose weight as my new years resolution.
My daughter Angharad was sceptical, telling me I did not have
the will-power to give up junk food, and so we placed a bet on who could lose
the most weight. She took me to join the local Welsh-Weigh weight-loss meeting
in Aberaeron, and from
then on I was on a mission to lose
weight. My lifestyle
and diet changed overnight, as I swapped junk food and chips for healthy eating
and drinking lots of water. The weight dropped off me, and within 8 months I had
lost over 6 stone.
I am now far more active and physically fit, able to fit into clothes easily, and I have won my bet!
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I’d
struggled with my weight for most of my adult life.
I’d go on all sorts of strange weight-loss regimes, lose weight, then put
it all back on when I came off the diets.
My weight gradually increased to over 12 stones, and I felt fat, unhealthy and unfit. My self-esteem reached rock bottom, I was sometimes ashamed to go out as I felt so awful. I always dreaded summer when my weight was up, as I didn’t want to go out in summer dresses or shorts
In March 2006, my life started to change. I walked away from an unhappy marriage and moved to a flat of my own. I vowed that I would do two things – find a job and lose at least 2 stones in weight. At the time these goals seemed unrealistic, even impossible!
Then one day, back in July 2006, I saw a poster advertising Welsh-Weigh sessions, and I decided to give it a go. I had no real expectations that I’d lose any weight, having failed on so many previous occasions – but after just one visit to Welsh-Weigh, I started to have faith. When I went back the next week, I’d lost a few pounds, which was so encouraging.
Anyway, to cut a long story short – I lost 34 and a half pounds in 8 months! When people ask how I did it, I say it’s all down to the four Ws:
Welsh-Weigh – for advice and support
Water – drinking 3 to 5 pints a day
Walking – the only exercise I can really do
Writing – down everything I eat and drink and making a note of the calories
Thanks to the four Ws, I’m now slimmer, fitter and more confident.
Sometimes I still have to pinch myself for
reassurance that I’m not dreaming, I really did lose all that weight.
I would urge anyone who wants to lose weight but feels it’s impossible, to go along to Welsh-Weigh. After years of trying to lose weight, Welsh-Weigh worked for me.
I achieved my
weight loss target, (and I also have a full time job now.)
At
nearly thirteen stone and over 60, I felt like a beached whale and my stomach
got in the way of donning my tights. I like clothes but felt miserable looking
in the size 18 to 20 range. Most of all I was worried about inheriting the
family heart problems.
I had tried several diets with only temporary success, so when I saw the Welsh-Weigh advert I went along with no real faith. I was given an induction pack but was sceptical at being told that so long as I counted it, I could eat what I liked.
I found the water drinking daunting to start with, but with a few drops of lemon juice and my newly purchased quaffing glasses it was an easy habit to form.
The suggested shopping list contained many foods that liked, and together with my little weighing machine, putting a meal together was child’s play, and the food diary (now routine) helped to organise each meal as it occurred.
I am inclined to appease my taste buds at night, even after
a big meal, so I arrange my calories to accommodate my habits. I eat chocolate
in small portions; I still cook with butter, carefully weighed and counted, and
even have a sliver of pork pie occasionally as a treat. I insist to everyone
that I am not on a diet and that there are
no foods that I am forbidden, so
eating at social gatherings is easy for me, and simple for my host to cater for.
I have now lost nearly 3 stone; previously an insomniac, I sleep better and wake refreshed. I now shop for size 14 clothes and the compliments keep coming, but best of all – I feel great!
Losing weight has
been a long journey for me, starting seven years ago after the
birth
of my daughter. I realised that the weight I had put on was increasing with
every week, and I needed to change. However, for me losing weight was not going
to be enough – I wanted to improve my health for good by making permanent
changes to my lifestyle, not just “go on a diet” only to regain the weight
again. So I joined Welsh-Weigh, as it advocated lifestyle changes rather than
just dieting. And so the journey began.
In the early years of
my journey I often got stuck, gaining and losing the same old pounds and
yo-yoing. I became despondent, but Welsh-Weigh Consultant Kerry told me that if
what I was doing wasn't working, then try making some changes and doing
things differently. So I pulled myself together, and increased my exercise level and made
more lifestyle changes, gradually bringing my weight down from over seventeen
stone and a size 26, until finally I achieved my goal weight of eleven stone and a size
10. For me therefore this has not been a quick fix but a lifestyle o
ver-haul,
and more importantly it has improved my health in all respects.
When I reached my target weight in October 2007 my partner paid for me to have a tattoo – something I have always wanted but had felt I was too fat!
Now I have the energy to enjoy life, and the motivation and will-power to do what I want. It’s so easy just to make excuses, to say you “don’t have time”, and to give up when your weight loss plateau’s, but stick with it – it’s worth it in the end!
Four years ago I was diagnosed with Cancer and had many, many treatments. Of
course wha
t
happened next was that I had put on a lot of weight. Last May, after seeing
myself in one of the pictures my daughter took of myself I was so shocked that I
had to do something about it. I joined Welsh-Weigh and I’ve never looked back.
In total up to date I have lost 33 pounds and I'm feeling wonderful. Its an excellent diet, well I don’t even think its a diet, its just sensible and healthy eating. I also walk every day for at least an hour and have also started swimming again. I feel so good being able to wear nice clothes again, all thanks to our lovely Consultant Kerry.
Many thanks and I shall keep on attending the weekly meetings. I still have to lose a little more. I enjoy going to the meetings, its a lot of fun, it has turned my life around. I hope this will help others as it did me.
I have always had a problem with my weight, but in November
2008 it was getting out of hand. I was finding it difficult to get into my
clothes, nothing seemed to fit,
and
it was really getting me down.
So I made a decision there and then that in February 2009 I would start a diet – I would get Christmas and New Year out of the way first, and then make a fresh start. In January I saw a friend of mine who had lost a lot of weight with Welsh-Weigh, and I could see how it had worked for her so I decided I would give it a go. I was positive that I was going to do this and that it was going to work, because I really wanted to feel better about myself and to be healthy.
Following the advice and assistance provided by the
Consultant Kerry at Welsh-Weigh, and the tips from my friend, the weight soon
started to
come off. By August I had lost 3 ½ stone, and although I have not yet reached my
goal weight I feel 100% better already.
When I meet someone that I have not seen for a while, they really notice the weight loss and the compliments are very encouraging. If I can follow Welsh-Weigh, then anyone can. It is very straight forward and everything is explained – a way of life rather than a diet. I just wish I had done it sooner!
Lynda's Story
In February 2007 I gave up my job as a chef, weighing 13 stone. I thought I
would then be able to eat more healthily and lose weight, but being at home I
found I just ate more!
By January 2009, after a lot of socialising my weight had
ballooned to over 15 ½ stone. I was also suffering from terrible backache to the
extent that it affecting my ability to work and I had to wear a back support
most days to do my job.
I tried almost every diet going to lose weight, even spending a fortune on slim
shakes etc, but nothing worked. I would manage to lose half a stone, but always
gained more weight than I’d lost, once I’d stopped. The day I was told
by the Doctor that I was morbidly obese; I was mortified and cried all the way
home. I kept telling myself that a lot of people were far bigger than me, but
that didn’t help my back problem.
I have always made excuses about going to a weight-loss class, saying I didn’t
have the time and that I had enough will-power to do it alone, but I couldn’t
have been more wrong. I had heard about Welsh-Weigh so I eventually bite the
bullet and e-mailed Kerry about the meetings then took my first step by going
along to my local class and joining up.
After getting my welcome starter pack and talking everything through with Kerry,
my healthy eating started. It took a while at first, as I read the information
and looked everything up, but after losing 6lbs in my first week I was
hooked –
I just knew this was going to work and that I could stick to it! The Body Stat
computerised scales told me that I had a lot of fat weight to lose; it certainly
wasn’t all muscle as I’d originally convinced myself. I wrote EVERYTHING down in
my food diary and started to exercise, and after 4 weeks I had lost a stone. The
weight continued to fall off as the months went on, and to date I have now lost
4 stone.
I feel like a new person, I no longer have back problems and feel so much fitter
and healthier. My Doctor cannot believe how much weight I have lost, just by
eating normally. It is amazing and I cannot thank Kerry enough for setting me on
the right track. My only regret now is that I do not have a full-length photo of
myself when I was at my heaviest – being overweight makes you camera-shy. But
when I look through my old photos I cannot quite believe the difference, I feel
like a totally new person.
Four years ago I was diagnosed with Cancer and had many, many treatments. Of
course what
happened next was that I had put on a lot of weight. Last May, after seeing
myself in one of the pictures my daughter took of myself I was so shocked that I
had to do something about it. I joined Welsh-Weigh and I’ve never looked back.
In total up to date I have lost 33 pounds and I'm feeling wonderful. Its an excellent diet, well I don’t even think its a diet, its just sensible and healthy eating. I also walk every day for at least an hour and have also started swimming again. I feel so good being able to wear nice clothes again, all thanks to our lovely Consultant Kerry.
Many thanks and I shall keep on attending the weekly meetings. I still have to lose a little more. I enjoy going to the meetings, its a lot of fun, it has turned my life around. I hope this will help others as it did me.
I
have always been a big girl and battled with my weight, when I married my
husband 15 years ago. I weighed 15 stone. I was always the big one, who sat in
the corner with no confidence. I was always embarrassed to get on the scales. I
knew I was big and getting bigger! I lost 7 stone 7 years ago ,slowly it crept
back on. So at the age of 38 I decided I wasn't going to be big any more. I
joined welsh -weigh in Fishguard on the 1st Feb. 2010, weighing in at 14 stone 9
I nearly had a heart attack! I was so ashamed. I decided I wanted to be slim and
didn't look back!
I had loads of support and encouragement from friends and family. I felt great
the first time in years, especially when I jumped on the scales each week and
had a weight loss ,the feeling was amazing. I found counting calories quite
easy, It became part of my life very quickly. I found the right foods for me and
foods I enjoyed, I also increased my water intake which helped me. I looked at
food in a different way. I also joined the local gym in Fishguard, I started to
enjoy the exercise as I was starting to get thinner and felt a big difference in
my health, I wa
sn't
getting breathless so quickly.
I weighed on July 1st 2010 exactly 5 months after I joined welsh-weigh and have
lost an amazing 52 and a half pounds which has brought my weight down to 10
stone 12 half pounds. Which makes me very proud. People don't recognise me and
asks if my husband has a new wife! I have promised myself I will never be big
again and am going to stick too it. I love shopping for new clothes size 10 to
12 instead of size 18 to 20 and you will never find me in the corner ever again!
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Melvyn's Story
At
the end of April 2008 I had to stop working because of arthritis in my knees. I
was already overweight, and due to inactivity my weight increased even more,
greatly affecting my mobility. I had decided that I must do something about it
when I saw an advert for Welsh -Weigh in the Carmarthen Journal, and I joined
the following week on April 28th 2009.
My starting weight was 21st 6lbs so I was determined to reduce it by a
considerable amount. I lost steadily every week (apart from the odd ‘blip’
during a heat wave) just by keeping a food diary and therefore being more aware
of how much I was eating. I still ate three good meals a day, and had my treats.
Kerry gave me an initial target weight of 16 stone which I reached just over a
year later, on May 11th 2010. I am sure that without the help of Kerry I would
have done as I have before, that is to lose the weight then put it all back on
and a bit more besides - a situation I am sure you have all found yourselves in.
But this time I persevered, and finally reached my own personal goal weight of
14 stone
2lbs on 16th November 2010. This gave me a total weight loss of 102
lbs, over 7 stone!
When I went for my check-up at the diabetic clinic, the nurse did not recognize
me at first. Losing all this weight has made a huge difference to my activity
and quality of life. I have taken up golf again, started playing indoor bowls
twice a week, and go out walking most days. It makes me wonder how I found the
time to go to work!