Lucy's Success Counting Calories

AKA "LucyWalker" on Weight Loss Resources

Lucy didn’t think anything of eating a pack of five fresh cookies in one go and eating two/three chocolate bars nearly every day, as well as crisps and sweets. With her wedding in May this year, she realised it was time to change her eating habits and count the calories in her diet…

About Lucy

I am an Account Executive (office job) at a large magazine printers, it's a mainly sedentary job so found it hard to stay motivated. Instead of staying in at lunchtime, I started taking a ½ hour walk instead; I found it helped me through the afternoon workload.

There are a few vending machines dotted around the company, which test my resolve on bad days, as well as the classic cakes and chocolates on office birthdays!

I am engaged and living with my fiancé, Graeme. The biggest thing I have changed is my portion sizes. I was eating the same amount as he was every night, and nearly always going back for seconds. One meal that would serve four people now would just serve the two of us.

Graeme has kept me on track for the vast majority of the time, reminding me of my goal when my resolve starts to waver.

Weight Loss History

I tried the South Beach Diet about 5 years ago. I also attended Weight Watchers throughout 2002 but only lost about ½ stone, which went straight back on again.

Weight Watchers was the right principle for me but it was too easy to either not attend the weekly meetings, or just go for the weigh in and not stay for the motivational part. It was then that I realised I needed the hard and fast rules of calorie counting. It might not work for some but too much freedom just sees me fall of the wagon.

I found The South Beach Diet too easy to break away as I found it far too relaxed.

Motivation to Lose Weight

I’m getting married in May 2008! I saw my pictures from my holiday in Spain and it dawned on me. I didn’t know I looked that big and I certainly did not want to look that big on my wedding day.

The Best of Weight Loss Resources

The goals and results are fantastic. If I’m having a bad day, I can look through my graphs and see just how far I’ve come.

The food diary is indispensable because it forces me to look at what I eat, my portion sizes and the calories!

The forum is brilliant for support and help.

It might not work for everyone, but calorie-counting shows me that I am the only one who can change my eating habits and I am accountable for everything I eat and do. There’s no room for excuses and cheating. Having the Members Forum there means I know I’m not the only one going through this

Lifestyle Changes

I appreciate food a lot more now. I take my time making dinners and lunches, rather than just grabbing a takeaway or a sandwich all the time.

I can shop in normal clothes shops again!

Food Changes

I didn’t think anything of eating a pack of five fresh cookies from bakeries in supermarkets in one go. I would eat two/three chocolate bars nearly every day, as well as crisps and sweets. If I nipped to a newsagent for the paper, I couldn’t leave without getting some kind of junk food to eat.

Typical Dinner

BEFORE - My actual meals haven’t changed massively at dinner; it’s mainly my portion sizes. I would eat two people’s portions of pasta for Spaghetti Bolognese, with grated cheddar over the top. I’d then have ice cream for pudding.

NOW – I take longer to eat my meals at night, enjoying them, rather than just eating for the sake of it. I also add more vegetables to every meal.

Exercise

I haven’t used exercise as a massive part of the routine; my problems lay with food. Now I live by the coast (I lived in the city centre of Leicester), I go for walks every weekend, with Graeme on the beach or through country parks near my house. I have also bought a bike, which we use for trips to the beach.

Why do you think WLR has helped you lose weight where other diets have failed?

I found out that I need quite strict rules when it comes to losing weight. I’m the type of person who needs to know how many calories I can have per day as I find it far too easy to find an excuse if there are no parameters to stick within. For example, I had the opportunity to misinterpret the points system on Weight Watchers and convince myself I could have sweets/chocolate etc.

It might not work for everyone, but calorie-counting shows me that I am the only one who can change my eating habits and I am accountable for everything I eat and do. There’s no room for excuses and cheating. Having the Members Forum there means I know I’m not the only one going through this

Lucy's Weight Loss Tips

FILL IN THE FOOD DIARY! I sometimes find it hard to motivate myself to put everything in, but WLR simply doesn’t work if you don’t.

My other trick is that I fill in my day’s food in the morning. It means I’ve planned my dinner and lunch and I find it harder to change my mind if I know it’s already written down.

Also, don’t let it become an obsession. I chose Friday’s as my weigh in day so that I could relax a little and enjoy Friday nights even if it’s just a quick meal out. I’m now tee-total so I enjoy meals as a treat a lot more now that I used to.

If you’ve made the decision to do this, it will change your lifestyle and eating habits for the rest of your life.

It can get tough at times. If you stick within your calories, you will lose weight. I was originally on a 2lb/week loss, but found it too hard when my calories reduced, so simply switched to a 1lb/week loss. Still losing weight but on a manageable daily calorie quota. Don’t see anything like this as a failure – it’s just a change to keep you motivated.

Lucy's Vital Statistics

	Before	Now
Weight	14st	11st 4lb