Lost 9.1kgs and 13.26% of her body weight
Maintaining my weight in a healthy range has been a challenge most of my adult life. When I went from being in an active working environment to more office-based work, my weight increased. While I’ve always been an active person, my eating habits have been haphazard. I wouldn’t eat breakfast, would often skip lunch and then make up for it by having a big evening meal.
Since retiring, I’ve had more time to spend on things I enjoy doing. I love quilting, thread painting, embroidery and knitting – all activities that require sitting down on the job. I tend to lose myself in what I’m doing and then discover hours have passed and I haven’t moved….or eaten. Coming to terms with increasing age and an ageing body was a challenge in itself. Add in being overweight and feeling uncomfortable in clothes and I found it hard to maintain a positive self-image.
About a year ago, my weight started to increase again and after a few half-hearted attempts to lose the extra kilos, I knew I needed a different approach. My youngest son’s wedding was fast approaching, and I was determined to look as good as possible for it. Thinking about wedding photos was a big motivator!
My sister-in-law Noelene was my inspiration for joining H.I. We were chatting one evening and she was talking about this new ‘centre’ she had just joined. I contacted Healthy Inspirations the next day and haven’t looked back. My goals were not just to lose extra kilos to get into a healthy weight range, but also to improve my fitness and strength and focus on developing a more balanced approach to eating.
At first the program took a bit of adjusting to. I wasn’t in the habit of eating as regularly as the plan recommended. Initially it felt like all I did was eat! Over time, my body and I adjusted and while I’ve achieved my weight loss goal, I’m still working on improving my eating habits.
Having a weekly coaching session was supportive and helped keep me focused. Having a ‘coach’ has felt like a luxury and someone who I feel comfortable opening up to about the challenges and who keeps me inspired and motivated. I’ve also really appreciated the support and encouragement from both the HI team and the other women who attend. The enthusiasm of everyone is motivating and has really helped me stay on track.
Although I’m an active person I can see now that my previous under-eating habits worked against me. It’s so important for me to remember to eat nutritious foods regularly, even though I don’t get strong hunger signals.
I really love the feeling of being physically strong and fit again. Achieving my goal weight feels great and I’m comfortable in my clothes. I’ve always enjoyed exercising and I like the circuit and class combo that H.I offers. I feel positive knowing that the exercise machines are safely working all my joints and muscle groups plus I am really having some fun (and working hard) in the classes too.
- Accept you may have a slow and steady approach to weight loss. Be realistic about how long it might take and see it as part of a lifestyle rather than a crash ‘diet’.
- Get past thinking that you need to eat less if you want to lose weight. Usually the reverse is true, as long as you eat the right foods.
- Make the most of the coaching sessions. It’s not always easy to open up about the times when staying on plan hasn’t been achieved, feelings of failing etc. But it’s worth taking the risk and being honest about those times, so your coach can help you develop coping strategies.
(And – a big thank you to Noelene for her encouragement along the way)