Vanessa lost over 26.4kg and has kept it off for over 2 years. She's now a Leader and here she tells us her journey.
Name: Vanessa
Age: 32
Height: 1.66 m
Was: 83.4 kg
Lost: 26.4 kg
Weight: 57 kg
Time to get real
I could have happily kept eating excessive junk food but I knew that wasn’t going to get me where I wanted to be – fit, healthy and alive. But it took tears from my four-year-old to spring me to action.
I’d taken my son to the park and was sitting on a bench while he was playing when he came running towards me, sobbing. Another child at had told him to go back to his “fat mummy”. He was heartbroken and cried all the way home. I was so upset that my son was being made fun of because of me.
Up until then, I’d used my pregnancies as an excuse for my extra weight, all the while knowing my food choices were to blame. But I couldn’t live in denial anymore – the overeating had to stop, exercising had to start. I had to re-educate my tastebuds, body and mind, so I signed up to Weight Watchers meetings.
Food choices
I followed the Weight Watchers plan to the letter. I was really motivated by the program because it was new and exciting. When I got used to healthy foods, I experimented with different recipes and sought out food I’d never eaten before. I learnt that variety is the key.
Mirror, mirror
The biggest challenge I faced at the gym was the mirrors. At home, there are no mirrors lower than my waist. I had to face myself – the person I’d been hiding from for years. Instead of running away, this time I stayed. I didn’t like what I was seeing, but I used the mirrors as a motivational tool. I couldn’t hide any more, so I had to change the person staring back at me.
Exercise was and still is my secret weapon. It has been an important factor for me in losing weight and keeping it off. I lost 26.4kg and I’ve kept that off for two years. Quitting is the easy thing to do. It’s easier not to change your lifestyle because it sounds like hard work, but it’s worth it. When you start feeling fitter, healthier and livelier, you forget about the challenges.
Leading by example
I felt so amazing after changing my food and exercise habits that I wanted everybody to feel the same way! I’ve been a Leader for two years now, and I make my Weight Watchers meetings fun with lots of interaction. My mission is for members to enjoy learning and teach them that the results of hard work are definitely worth the effort.
Home