“I’ve lost over 10 stone* and feel incredible”
Claire Barratt joined LighterLife and found the determination she needed to tackle her weight problem head-on.
- Weight lost: 10st 4lbs*
- Length maintaining: Over a year
- Weight loss plan: Total
- Followed by Management
“I was 24 when I went through a huge period of change. My husband got a job in Spain and we moved out there with our newborn daughter. We thought it was going to be an amazing fresh start for us, but for me at least, the grass was not greener.
“I found myself stuck in a strange house in a country where I didn’t even speak the language. I spent all my time at home with the baby, while my husband worked long hours.
“Up until this point, I’d always had a fairly normal relationship with food, but I started eating to block out the negative emotions I was feeling. After a few years, we had our second daughter and my weight continued to soar. I was classified as obese and I even had to take insulin for gestational diabetes during my pregnancy. It should have been a warning sign, but I chose to ignore it.
Shortly after our daughter was born, we moved back to the UK because my mum was very ill. I was back around family and friends, but my weight continued to climb. I felt like I had enough problems without adding a diet into the mix. When mum passed away, my weight hit new heights.”
It’s time for a change
“My rock bottom came at Christmas 2015. By this time I had started my role as a teaching assistant in a school, and someone had taken a photograph of me side-on. When I saw it I couldn’t believe it was me. I vowed to enjoy Christmas and start a diet as soon as it was over.
I had tried slimming clubs in the past but none of them ever worked for me. I knew I needed something different, so I joined LighterLife. I had my first meeting with my LighterLife counsellor, Carol, on 4th January, 2016.
When I arrived at Carol’s office I hadn’t weighed myself for years. I imagined I was about 17-18st, so when the scales told me I was 21st 7lb I couldn’t believe it. It gave me even more determination to reach my goal weight. In the first week I lost 13lb. The fast rate of weight loss kept me motivated, and the group work gave me the support I needed to stay on track and help me understand more about my relationship with food.”
My LighterLife group made all the difference.
“The support I received from my group, and Carol, is beyond all of my expectations. I’m so happy with myself. At first my body was way ahead of my head. I still thought I was a lot bigger than I was. One of my most memorable group exercises saw me draw what I visioned myself to look like on a massive sheet of paper. I then had to lie on it whilst someone else from the group drew around me. I was a lot smaller than I realised.
“To anyone who wants to lose weight. You really need to want it. It’s not easy. Instead of setting a long goal, set a SMART goal. Treat each day as it comes and if you get the urge to eat something you know will set you back… take a deep breath, wait 10mins then think about how you feel. Think about how you would have felt with yourself had you given in. And remember this the next time you find yourself in a similar situation.”
*Each of our clients’ results and stories are unique to them and their experience of LighterLife. Your own results will be personal to you and may vary.
