56 year old Assistant Nurse Director Carole Crocker decided to act after a patient made a comment about her weight. She became painfully aware that after 37 years of helping others, the person she’d neglected was herself.
- Weight lost 5st 4lbs*
- Weight loss plan: Total
- Followed by Management
‘‘It was after a patient of mine, who’d I’d just advised to lose weight, told me to heed my own advice, that I had to face up to the fact that despite my 40 years’ clinical experience, and extensive knowledge of nutrition and the damaging effects of obesity, at over 17st I too was morbidly obese and setting a terrible example.
The last thing on my mind when I’d finished a long or stressful shift was eating properly. I’d get in the car and stop at a takeaway on the way home – it was tasty, it was quick, it also meant the weight piled on.
There’s an emotional element to nursing and some of us (nurses) are comfort eaters. When a patient dies, it’s common for colleagues to gather after a shift and share tea, sympathy and usually a whole tin of biscuits. Of course, we’ve all tried to lose weight. I remember some colleagues and I having a weekly weigh-in to try to shift a few pounds but somehow we let it slide..
I have that disgruntled patient to thank for my wake-up call last October. I knew I needed to tackle my weight before I had to get my uniform made even bigger. One of my colleagues had recently joined LighterLife and was looking fantastic, so I signed up, too, and from day one, it seemed to click.
“After the first three days I felt no hunger – my energy levels rose and I became a new person.”
The group work helped identify unhelpful eating patterns; when everyone was in bed, I’d eat chocolate and cakes, then bury the wrappers in a carrier bag, stuffed well down the bin. And on my day off, I’d buy a giant tub of ice cream. Four cream cakes at once were not a problem.
Now I feel fitter and healthier than ever and I’m better equipped to do my job. I can run to an emergency, and take four or five flights of stairs in my stride.’
Today, Carole is 12 ½ stone*, and “having a blast”. Her dress sizes have dropped from a size 20 to a size 10* and she loves her new self, outside and in. Carole is “living the dream” and plans a series of adventures including climbing Ben Nevis (she tried before but got too puffed); indoor skydiving (too heavy); and a return to Namibia for a balloon ride.
*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.
