Twelve years ago, I was out walking my dog when two men pulled up in a van beside me. One man got out and tried grabbing my dog’s lead but I fought like hell so he beat me up and kicked my dog before getting away. Thankfully without my precious baby.
Subsequently, I went downhill very quickly and was diagnosed with PTSD. I was frozen with fear and completely unable to leave the house for years. I stayed indoors comfort eating sweet things all day. My weight went up considerably until I was almost 16 stone. I was breathless, I had a very bad knee, and I lost all interest in living.
People who knew me were so sad that I’d gone from a very outgoing, friendly person to a virtual recluse. It was so difficult to carry out daily tasks as I was so heavy, and I felt my life was over.
Why I chose LighterLife
While having psychotherapy, and having tried other diets in the past where the meetings were always about food, it was actually my Osteopath who introduced me to LighterLife.
What stood out for me was the genuine concern and caring from my Mentor, Neil, who kept me going forward on the plan. And I really enjoyed the online CBT Mindfulness sessions that never mentioned food.
My Mentor and our Group helped me understand why I reached out for food in times of great stress and upset. I now realise food was just a 2- second fix, was only damaging me, and wasn’t solving any of my problems whatsoever.
I found the weekly CBT Mindfulness sessions with my Mentor invaluable. The discussions and mindfulness therapy really taught me a lot about myself, including things I hadn’t ever realised before. For example, I always used to say things like “I can’t” and “I’ll try”. Neil has taught me to be positive, that I can and I will, and this new attitude has affected all the other areas of my life for the better too.
I’ve learned that I don’t need the large amount of food I was having before, and I can do whatever I want, without relying on food except for when I’m truly hungry.
Starting LighterLife
During my first week on TotalFast I did feel a little hungry but I had so much more energy. My favourite foodpack is definitely the Vegetable Soup, it’s delicious. My weight started to go down very quickly and now I’m 5 stone lighter – I‘ve gone from a size 28 down to a size 12.
My New Lighter Life
My life has changed a lot since losing all the weight as the pressure is off my knee. My health has improved, I’m no longer breathless when I get to the top of the stairs, I can bend down and get on the floor, I can go walking for hours, and I can go dancing again.
I’m out and about, and back to my old self enjoying visiting all the people and places I’ve wanted to see for years, but couldn’t because it was so hard to get about. And I’m feeling more confident with my clothes too – I’ve given all my large clothes to charity and only have size 12 outfits in my wardrobe now!
LighterLife has given me my life back and Neil has been amazingly supportive along the way. I am so happy to have been given a second chance. If it wasn’t for LighterLife, I feel sure I’d have continued putting on weight and probably given up altogether.
I would love for more people with weight problems to embrace LighterLife and the mindfulness teachings that changed my relationship with food. I’m 72 years old and I’m living my best life. Thank you to everyone at LighterLife.
Gerry’s Top Tip
LighterLife is the very best way forward for you to lose weight and keep it off. Never miss a CBT Mindfulness session, reach out to your Mentor and, if you stray off the plan, don’t be shy about coming to Group and sharing that difficulty with your fellow LighterLifers. You’re not alone, we really are all with you every step of the way on your journey to a healthy new you.
