Dear Heidi,
I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the additional nutritional advice I have been following from you since the end of April 2011. I enclose some pictures that show what a difference a year can make.
I am now 46 years old and I have struggled with my weight for the last 25 years, yo-yoing between size 14 and size 24 at my biggest; mainly staying at the high end of the scale. I have tried various diets including Weight Watchers , Lipotrim, Slimming World and then I followed The Biggest Loser diet. WW did nothing for me apart and I felt humiliated each week when I didn’t lose weight, I did lose 6 stone on Lipotrim in 5 months back In 2006, then put it all back on and more over the next 2 years and I finally I lost 2 stone at SW in 3 months last year, then stopped losing altogether. The “final” push was to follow The Biggest Loser diet in which I lost another stone, but again came to another plateau and couldn’t lose any more.
For me, all these diets had several things in common :
· I lost some weight, but couldn’t keep it off and usually ended putting it back on plus more
· They all banned or severely restricted certain foods, including “good” fats and oils and left me constantly hungry
· I felt, looked and was unhealthy – various ailments kept me going to the Doctor, mainly around my digestive system
· I was diagnosed with a stomach ulcer in 2007 & that kept me off work for 2 months – not long after I came off Lipotrim
· I learnt nothing about long-term healthy eating and I craved the restricted foods eg cheese and chocolate
· I did not get any fitter and I consciously avoided any activity that required even the smallest exertion like walking to the local shops( it’s actually quicker for me to walk to Morrison’s than it is to drive now)
· I learnt that none of these programmes were working for me on an ongoing basis and I would have to change tactics in my need and desire to get fit and healthy once and for all.
In April, Heidi set me up with the healthy food plan which allowed me to eat normal food again. I was delighted to be able to put items like butter and good oils back into my diet. I lost a stone in 4 weeks through May 2011 and felt on top of the world. My skin started to glow, my hair was shining, my tummy issues settled down and I was never hungry!
The dreaded scales are no longer dictating my life and I feel that I am finally in control of my health and fitness routines. I have far more energy, am more alert and people remark how I am always smiling now. I can walk into Wokingham in about 25 mins whereas previously I would always drive. It used to take me an hour to walk round Dinton once and at the end I would be thinking I needed oxygen, but now I can go easily walk round twice in 45 minutes, whilst holding a conversation and not be out of breath at the end.
PS – also thanks to Heidi, I qualified as a Zumba instructor in June 2011! If you had told me that a year ago, I would have thought you were mad.
Liz