Joanne's story
Weight Lost: 4 stone
When I got past my 2 stone mark people started noticing, that was when I realised there was no stopping me and that this was going to be the last time I ever needed to lose weight again. All the compliments from people was all I needed to cheer me on until the end. I still have 1 stone to go but I’m enjoying feeling and looking good.
"I have struggled with my weight since having my first child who is now 10, I was a young mum at the age of 20 and had post natal depression. I had a terrible relationship with food due to the depression and was left feeling exhausted from being a new mum and started using food to make me feel better but as you can imagine that turned into a vicious circle. The more I ate the fatter I became meaning the depression got worse as I looked at myself in the mirror I felt disgusting and unattractive. It wasn’t until my husband proposed to me that I decided to lose weight and I lost 4 1/2 stone, then shortly after our wedding I was pregnant with our second child so once she was born it was like déjà-vu; sleepless nights, eating junk food, feeling disgusting and unattractive. I also got post natal depression for a second time. My downfall was that I was so exhausted I would just order a takeaway so I didn’t need to cook, or I would just pick up convenient food. I never had energy so that made it worse. Crisps are a massive vice of mine, as well as alcohol.
I’ve tried every weight-loss plan out there; I should have shares in weight loss! The diets never worked as always had to weigh food or buy lots of branded stuff which then ended up being very expensive. Due to being a hairdresser I’m always on the go so I didn’t have the time to make this food. I decided to give The Slimming Clinic a go after seeing a teacher down my kids school looking absolutely fabulous after losing weight and that’s when she recommended The Slimming Clinic and I have to say it is by far the easiest diet I have ever done and has really changed the way my brain sees food. The most important tip for weight loss is to stop obsessing about it, it can really feel like a full time job thinking about our weight everyday and weighing yourself; looking in the mirror and beating yourself up. Where you put your focus is where you get your results, start being excited about the journey of losing weight, not worrying that the destination is too far away.Try to be happy everyday with who you are.
At my heaviest I was nearly 15 stone, I’m now 11 stone and plan to get one more stone off. I’m never bored in the diet plan as I feel amazing that people pay me compliments so that’s enough to make me stay on track and feel good about myself.
Here are some of my diet tips:
1. Start looking at yourself more and being positive about the journey; don’t put yourself down.
2. It's ok to have a little blow out sometimes, however don’t unpack your things and get comfortable and don’t beat yourself after, enjoy it and move on as we are only human.
3. Drink lots of water, before eating make sure you drink in case it's thirst - not hunger, hot water and lemon is a favourite of mine.
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I don’t really stay away from any foods, I just control how much and how often I eat. I feel when people start saying they cant have something it’s almost like we all have a little voice in our heads that says watch me go one step further and challenge yourself to eat a whole cake rather than a slice. The best things about losing weight is finding myself again, we all go through a lot of emotional trauma that has a huge effect on our minds and body as we are our harshest critics, so learning to like who I am again has been amazing. All of my relationships with friends and family are much better because I’m happier. I would say to anyone who wanted to lose a large amount of weight that the minute you regain control over yourself and your life you will start to feel empowered and strong enough to conquer anything, so commit and enjoy the journey of becoming you again. Now that I have lost weight I plan to keep it off by treating myself on regular occasions to reward myself, as maintaining weight loss can be just as hard as losing it, so I treat myself to new clothes, lashes, nails; things that make me feel good and make me proud of how far I have come in lots of different ways. I used to eat convenient food such as crisps and sandwiches, but now I just eat little and often. I don’t force myself to eat fruit or salads but for some reason I am naturally drawn to them more. When I got past my 2 stone mark people started noticing, that was when I realised there was no stopping me and that this was going to be the last time I ever needed to lose weight again. All the compliments from people was all I needed to cheer me on until the end. I still have 1 stone to go but I’m enjoying feeling and looking good."