Marie from Newcastle West has been told she now looks 20 years younger! Having lost 4 stone at Unislim, she has a new outlook on life – and a whole new wardrobe.
Chippers, takeouts, chocolate and crisps – they were my food groups before I joined Unislim. Having gained weight during 2 pregnancies, it just continued to spiral, and my love of what I call “quick food” wasn’t helping.
Like a lot of mum’s, I was busy taking care of everyone else and not myself. Looking after them, feeding the family well, but only eating on the go myself. If I was in a rush in the morning, I would get the kids sorted and out the door, but skip my own breakfast, I’d pick at a bar of chocolate or a bag of crisps during the day, skipping my lunch and then be so exhausted by the evening, that I’d sit down to a takeout.
I saw the weight creep up, but would ignore it as best as I could. However, it would catch me on the weekend when I would get dressed up for a night out. How my clothes looked on me would be the deciding factor of whether I went out or not. If I felt I looked too big, or couldn’t fit into the clothes I planned on wearing, that would put me in a bad humour and I would cancel, making up and excuse as to why I couldn’t go.
Over the years, I did try to lose weight. Yo-yo dieting and thinking that having Ryvita for lunch would herald huge results, of course, none of it worked.
I needed to do something that was going to change my habits and teach me how to eat properly, for life, not just for weight loss.
My lightbulb moment came when my sister Rose joined the local Unislim Newcastle West class in 2013. I could see she was losing weight and loving it, but I thought to myself “it won’t work for me, I won’t understand how to do it”. Rose told me that the plan was really easy and that she would help me. She was right – it was so simple to follow. We started sharing ideas, recipes and tips and pushed each other along the way. The leader Ann Hynes was amazing, like a mammy to all, and she helped us both every step of the way.
In the first 3 weeks I lost 4lbs each week, then 1lb a week from there on in. I couldn’t believe that I was eating so much and losing weight. And I could still have my treats and my few drinks on the weekend. The difference was, before, if I had a hangover, I would eat badly for 2 days after, now if I go out for a few drinks, I have healthy food ready, so I can still have a “Unislim fry up” on Sunday morning – but it’s all perfectly within plan. I was in control, I was prepared and I was loving it!
I started cooking more meals and turned my takeaways into fakeaways. I packed healthy snacks in my handbag so I wouldn’t be caught out. I work in a Café, so am surrounded by plates of chips and desserts every day, but I have learned that if you just think about it, you can find healthier options everywhere, if I am ordering food, I just stick to my plan. After all, it is working!
Now, after losing 4 stone, I feel amazing. I received certificates from my amazing Leader Ann Hynes for every stone I lost, so I keep them on my fridge to remind me of how far I have come. I love getting compliments about my new look.
In fact, I was at my brothers 40th birthday party recently and people who hadn’t seen me in a while didn’t recognise me – they said I look younger than my younger brother!
My whole wardrobe has changed, I love that I can now go into River Island or Zara and pick up a size 10 and know it will fit. Something I never thought would happen. I kept one size 18 dress that I bought just before I joined Unislim. I never got a chance to wear it, but now I keep it as a reminder of just how far I have come.
My advice to anyone who wants to make a change is to just go along to your local Unislim class, make a start, if I can do it, you can too. Believe me, it will change your life.
