Samantha Welsby, 46, from Denton in Manchester, lost over 2 stone* after attending the LighterLife Lite programme in Hyde. She has been maintaining her weight ever since.
What led to you gaining weight?
“I have a demanding job as a Retail Operations and Communications Manager, which means I travel a lot during the week to different office locations. I live in hotels for three days a week, so I’m always around lovely food and away from my family – which is one of the reasons I ate more than I should. It was a real challenge and within the space of a few months, I had ballooned from a size 6 – 8, right up to a size 14 at my heaviest.”
“I have two daughters – one aged 21 and one aged seven. After the birth of my second daughter, I suffered a fixed and torturous right colon and bowel due to having had two caesareans, which created a similar effect to IBS.”
When did you realise that something had to change? Did you have a ‘light bulb’ moment?
“Like many people, it was seeing photos of myself on holiday that gave me the jolt I needed. I realised how much weight I had gained while doing my job. I got quite depressed about my size and, although I did various diets, I always felt like a failure because none of them worked for me. Then I saw Pauline Quirke talking about LighterLife on TV and I thought to myself ‘if she can do it, I can too’. She achieved so much on the programme that I decided to give them a call the same day.”
Have you seen any health benefits since joining LighterLife?
“Yes, lots. I have more energy and generally feel better about myself. Since doing LighterLife and now that I eat more healthily, I don’t have a problem with my fused bowel anymore, either. I know what foods are good for me now, and my body is thanking me for it!”
What keeps you motivated?
“Remembering my triggers really helps me. If I feel tempted, I think about why I choose some foods over others, or why I respond to peer pressure. I like the way I look now, and feel more confident than I ever did before. I really don’t want to go back to being the groggy, slow, unmotivated person I was before – so that keeps me on track.”
What’s been the most challenging part of your LighterLife journey?
“My main challenge is that I work away several nights a week and have a lot of working dinners, where the food and pressure can make things awkward, but I remain focused and make the right choices for me. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t just live on lettuce now – but I do know what I can eat, how much of it to have, and when.”
What would you say to other people starting their LighterLife journey?
“My advice to anyone thinking about LighterLife is don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. If you stick to the programme, you will definitely lose weight. The secret though is learning how to keep it off and understanding your journey – it’s not just about how you look on the outside, it’s about how you think, too.”
“While I was on the programme, I saw a few people in my group come and go – some people gave up too quickly because of peer pressure and didn’t get to see it all the way through. What I would say is that if you’ve started the programme and you’re struggling with what other people are telling you, just remember that it’s not about what they think. You’re doing this for yourself. Many people think they don’t need the group sessions and would prefer to just get their foodpacks and go. You absolutely have to give the group sessions a chance – going through all the modules gives you a better understanding of the whole process and really puts what you’re doing into context. If you go to the groups, open yourself to it and really participate, you will lose the weight and better still, you’ll know how to keep it off.”
*Each of our client’s results and stories are unique to them and their experience of LighterLife. Your own results will be personal to you and may vary.
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