Psychology student Margaret O’Donovan, from Cork, was 15st 7lbs when she attended her first Unislim class in Skibbereen in May 2011. She is currently 11st after losing 4st 7lbs and was awarded the title of Unislim Youth Ambassador, at the Unislimmer Of The Year Awards 2012.
“In the run up to my 18th birthday, I kept saying I needed to do something about my weight. My Mam told me that my neighbours Betty and Catherine were going along to the local Unislim class. I was so scared, but I went. When I went into the class first I was a little embarrassed, as I was the youngest in the class. But I was immediately encouraged by everyone so I wanted to stay. There was a poster in the class that said you had to find the right time to change your life, and I knew that it was definitely my time. Everyone at the class was so supportive and I learned so much about eating healthily from that first class.
“I loved that basically, you could eat what you want. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, and I love not feeling guilty when I eat. For me it was about learning about portion sizes and snacking. Eating carbs was a really big thing for me, and I realised that I was eating loads of them. Now, my mindset has changed completely. I still have treats, but I know now to exercise so that I can save my Bites.”
“I went on a two-week holiday with my class and lost half a stone. The whole class was talking about it, and they were all very excited. After that, I had the courage to tell a few more friends about what I was doing. Unislim is definitely getting more popular for people my age. There’s definitely this feeling that it’s something older people do. But I took a friend in, and she loved it. People think that teenagers do crash diets, and a lot of girls thought I was on diet pills, but I told them that the weight loss was down to something much healthier than that… just healthy eating and exercise. Now, if I want to eat some ice cream, I make sure that I go for an extra walk to earn some extra Bites. My friends are all eating more healthily, and we appreciate our treats now rather than just eating without thinking.”
“For my 18th birthday I could buy the clothes I wanted, and I recently went on a holiday and wore stuff I couldn’t wear before. I used to work in as part of a housekeeping team, but now that I have so much more confidence and love talking to people, I am working as a waitress and as the Youth Ambassador for Unislim. The Unislim Forever Free Plan has taught me about eating the right foods, and I am so much healthier as a result. I am so much happier now, and feel better in my own skin.”
