After struggling with her weight into her 30s, Stella has now been a size 8-10 for over a decade and believes staying in group after losing weight was crucial in helping her maintain.
- Weight lost: 4st 4lb*
- Weight loss plan: TotalFast
- Followed by Management
My weight was affecting every aspect of my life. I had no confidence so didn’t want to go out and socialise and I stayed at home and slept a lot of the time. To me, food was an addiction and I used to comfort eat on a daily basis, relying on food to make me happy. I used to return home and head straight for the fridge to see what I could eat and used to graze on food throughout the day. I knew my weight was out of control but I didn’t know how I could make a long term change. My health was also becoming a concern and I my joints constantly ached. I also suffered from asthma and breathing was sometimes difficult.
Trying something different
Despite my weight, I still did exercise with my friend who is a personal trainer. We often went on walks together but I still wasn’t losing the weight I wanted to. I had tried so many other different diets and they helped me lose weight initially but then I would gain the weight again as I didn’t have the tools to keep it off. This was when my friend recommended LighterLife as the counselling sessions enable you to learn how to keep the weight off and adopt a healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life.
Joining LighterLife has quite simply changed my life. It has taken time, but I now feel very confident about myself for the first time in years and I am so much more excited for life. I now love socialising with friends and family and no longer take a backseat.
My love for fashion is another thing that I can now enjoy and shopping has become fun again. Before I joined LighterLife I would wear elasticated trousers or leggings but now I love dressing up in skirts or dresses and heels. It is a great feeling to know that I can walk into any shop and pick something of the rail and know that it will fit me. Exercise has also become a passion of mine and I regularly go to the gym.
My family and friends have also been amazing during my weight loss journey and people who I haven’t seen in a while don’t recognise me!
In the 14 years since I started LighterLife journey my life has changed in ways I never believed possible. My confidence has grown, and I started to take steps towards making big changes in my life. In 2012 I started working again first with Age UK, then through a friend I met at my local, I trained to become an Assistant Respiratory Physiotherapist. I became part of an amazing team, working for the NHS running Pulmonary Rehabilitation courses, helping people with serious lung disease get fitter and learn about their condition. I also now run my own fitness classes where I actively encourage and support those who have difficulty breathing to exercise.
The biggest and most incredible change in my life happened in 2022 when I married the most wonderful man I have ever met! We honeymooned in Las Vegas where I went on a zip wire along Freemont Street – something I would never have dreamed of doing before I lost my weight.
My toolkit for success
Since losing the weight, I look at what I eat and why I am eating it. The LighterLife counselling has been amazing in helping me realise that I am not the only person linking food to my emotions and with the help of LighterLife I have learnt to manage this. I cannot recommend LighterLife enough and although it sounds cliché, LighterLife has truly changed my life. It isn’t just a weight management plan; it’s a new way of life. For anyone that wants to lose the weight and feel incredible, try it!
