August 27 2006

 

Emily

Country: Auckland, New Zealand
Age: 28
Weight before diet: 91kg (200 lbs)
Weight now: 69kg (151 lbs)
Target weight: 67kg (147 lbs)

Emily's story is one example of success in the weight loss world. Going on the Weight Watchers Points plan not only helped her get rid of her excess weight; it also taught her about the effect of eating and physical activity on her health. Having a very supportive husband didn't hurt either!

-What finally made you decide to start with a weight loss program?
It was seeing photos of myself after a much-anticipated holiday with friends that gave me the jolt to do something. I’d known for years that my weight was creeping up, but seeing that I looked awful in every single holiday photo was the shock I needed to do something about it. Even though the holiday was a real blast, I wanted to throw out every photo.

-What type of weight loss program are you following?
The Weight Watchers Points Plan. Weight Watchers gave me the tools and the framework to learn how to eat healthily, so now it's more about maintaining a healthy balance between what I eat, and how much I move.

-Why did you choose this weight loss program?
I had done it when I was 20 and had some success, but my goal at the time was only to lose weight for my 21st birthday party so I could fit into a dress I wanted to wear. The weight crept back on afterwards, and I followed the plan from home from time to time over the years, without getting the same results. I dabbled in other diets as well, including the South Beach Diet, but the weight always crept back on and I yo-yo’d for 4 or 5 years really.

Once I had made the decision to become healthier and slimmer, I decided that I needed some help to get on the right track, so I joined Weight Watchers again with a friend. It was the accountability of going to meetings that kept me on track, and I felt that I needed that structure while I re-acquainted myself with the principals of creating healthy habits.

My friend dropped out after a couple of months as it wasn’t working for her, but I got immediate results and found the meetings helpful and formed a relationship with my Leader, so I always had someone to talk to if I was in a rut or having a bad week.

-How long have you been on your weight loss program?
It took 11 months to get to my goal weight, and I have been on maintenance for a year. I’m slightly over my goal weight at the moment, having just lost a baby at 4 months pregnant. I am trying to lose that extra weight before falling pregnant again.

-What kinds of physical activities do you like doing to help you lose weight and stay fit?
I didn’t exercise before, and am not a sporty person, so I wanted to do something "easy." My husband and I go walking together 3 or 4 times a week. My philosophy is that you have to find a form of exercise that you enjoy, and that you can incorporate into your daily life and make it something you like doing, not a chore. For me, there was no point joining a gym and doing grueling workouts 5 days a week – it might work in the short term to lose the weight, but it's never going to be something I do willingly for the rest of my life.

As my fitness increased we did start running as well, but this has fallen by the wayside lately due to a combination of my pregnancy and the winter weather. Perhaps we will get back into the jogging as the weather improves!

-What were the most difficult obstacles you had to overcome or are still overcoming?
Eating large portion sizes is a trait I’ve inherited from my dad, and I have a tendency to eat far more than I need if it is a dish that I enjoy.

I also have a terrible sweet tooth, with low willpower to say no. Alcohol is also a weak point, I have switched from beer to wine as a result of my new healthy lifestyle, but I do need to remember that it is all just sugar.

Another obstacle that I’ve found that is a huge challenge for many people is making the healthy habits fit into a busy social life. I’ve adopted the approach of indulging but still exercising restraint – it's all about achieving a good balance. Its okay to have a night out every now and then, and I would encourage you to do it, but compensate with plenty of activity and good choices for the rest of the week.

-How do you keep yourself motivated?
My husband has lost weight with me, so it's been amazing to have his support and encouragement. We want to have a family, so it’s important to us to be healthy so we’re in the best shape to have children; and also that we instill healthy habits and a good attitude to nutrition and exercise into our kids, right from the start.

On a more tangible note, I get daily gratification from being able to wear nice clothes and know that I don’t look like a frump. When I was losing the weight this was more of a dangling carrot than a reality, but I really love going clothes shopping and being able to buy anything I like. My favourites are a pair of size 11 jeans (NZ size – would be size 9 Australian, I think) – my girlfriend reckons I could have even gone with the size 10 but I think that would have just been showing off!

-Do you have any weight loss tips for our readers?
I find keeping a food diary really helpful. I know exactly what I’ve eaten each day, and it helps (if I happen to analyse it) to recognise what food groups I eat too much of, and not enough of. Be honest with yourself though, cheating doesn’t help.

Creating a fail-safe environment is another good tip – for me, junk food and takeaway dinners are danger zones, so to stay on top of these I have to make sure I’m up to date with the grocery shopping so there are always plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables at hand, as well as meat in the freezer. We don’t keep chocolate or lollies in the house – if the craving is bad enough we make a special trip out to buy it, even if just to the petrol station, and that way we can get exactly what we feel like and not munch aimlessly hoping to satisfy the craving.

-Do you think it will be easy to fall back into your old lifestyle pattern? How do you prevent this from happening?
Definitely. I think if you are someone, like myself, who has become overweight because of laziness and not knowing how to cook and prepare a healthy meal, it would be easy to lose the fighting spirit to keep going and choose the easy path, not the one that is going to be a constant battle, every single day. The trick is just replacing those bad habits with new, healthy ones, and reminding yourself every day to make good choices.

-Do you have a favorite Web site or blog that helps or inspires you to lose weight?
I was a late-starter and only started my own blog when I had already lost nearly 20kg (44 lbs), but I have found a fantastic support network out there of great reads. My favourites are linked in my sidebar, at my pink shorts.