It was after a visit to my doctor in April 2013 that I realised I needed to totally change my life. At 55, I’d had a reality check, and this was it. I needed to lose weight and learn to adopt healthier habits. I chose Unislim because I’d seen a local girl who had had great success with them – Nicky Quigley had lost six stone, and she really inspired me. So I looked up my local class and headed straight there. Once I’d made my mind up, I was determined.
That first day, I was terrified about standing on the scales. I’d avoided them for about ten years, and had absolutely no idea what I weighed. I got a shock when I read the numbers, but my leader was so good to me and completely put me at ease, simply saying we’d sort this out. And she was right. I lost five stone in 14 months, the healthy way. And best of all, I was never hungry.
I grasped the Forever Free plan quickly. It’s really not difficult at all – lots of good advice and lots of good food. I knew I had to eat to lose weight, not starve or live off shakes, and I knew what I had been doing wasn’t good. I used to skip breakfast, and because my husband is a shift worker, I’d often just eat on the run, rather than have proper meals. So, just getting into a healthy routine brought great results. I even lost five pounds on my first week!
Now I make sure to start the day with breakfast – porridge, or Weetabix and fruit, or a cooked breakfast at weekends. I batch cook soup, so have it with salad and bread for lunch and then cook a proper dinner in the evenings. I snack on fruit and yoghurts. I’ll use my Unislim Bites on things like stir-fry sauces or for extra portions of my favourite healthy foods.
Staying on plan and having a social life with Unislim is no bother; it never stopped me going out. I eat out once or twice a week, and incorporate it into the plan. I just ask for a salad or baked potato with my main course, and sauce on the side. I have also given up drinking alcohol, and think this has made a significant difference to my progress.
Like all Unislim members, I get huge support from my weekly meeting; and in between them, I go onto the Unislim chatroom on Facebook for motivation, and to help boost others. I’ll never forget putting up a picture of me on my birthday this year, alongside one of the “old me” two years ago. It got 500 likes and it really reminded me how far I’ve come. My doctor agrees and is thrilled with the new me – he is delighted that I’ve turned myself and my health around.
