Lost 19kg and 78cm.

As a child I had always been on the chubby side and I was addicted to sweet things! I was never happy with my appearance or indeed happy within my own skin and had tried many different diets. I still have many weight loss books in my bookshelf that promised the world but I never succeeded in any of them! It is time to throw them out because the programme at HI is what worked for me and what is still working for me!

It is 10 years in February since I first joined Healthy Inspirations in Sale. After experiencing a summer of gluttony back in 2006 I finally decided to give the programme a go. It took me three months to convince myself to at least try and the girls at HI were so encouraging from the word go!

I was surprised at how easy the program was to follow, how much there was to eat and I grew to love eating a variety of salads, vegetables, chicken and other healthy choices. One of the successes of the programme is the amount of choice there is and because we are all different we can choose what suits our tastes and therefore the chances of succeeding are greater.

Don’t misunderstand though, I was not perfect and ‘fell off the wagon’, so to speak, many times and berated myself for doing so. The key here though is to get right back on track. Enjoy the indulgence but at the very next meal revert to the programme. This way not so much is lost!

I lost about a kilo per week and couldn’t believe that I reached my goal of 10 kilos three months down the track.

I started at 78 kilos and now am usually between 59 and 60 kilos and am so happy to be here. It is so nice to be able to buy or put on clothes without having to force the zipper closed!

The staff at HI in Sale are fantastic and it’s always wonderful to get a friendly hello and smile. I weigh in once a week now but this too keeps me on track because I hold myself accountable.

It is lovely to follow the journeys of other members and to enjoy their successes as it is to meet new people and make new friends whilst chatting in the circuit.

The programme works and when people ask me what I am doing I proudly tell them I attend HI and why don’t they give it a go whether it be for weight loss or fitness.

Top tips for losing weight:

The support is the ‘crux’ to being able to lose weight and more importantly to keep it off and maintain one’s goal weight. I feel support when I enter the centre and my weekly weigh in and one-on-one gives me encouragement to ‘stay on track’.