Success Story: Mandy

AKA "Mandy Scott-Hopkins" on Weight Loss Resources

Dieting History

Starving Myself. Not for long though as I hate being hungry!

Slimming World

Weight Watchers. Not for long though – see ‘Starving Myself.’

Rosemary Conley

Mars Bars & Crisps. Very successful when I was 18 yrs old.

Have you lost weight before and regained the weight?

My weight has fluctuated since having my only child when I was 20. I gained 3½ stone (started at 9st) and never managed again to get back under 10st. In my early 30’s, I stuck to strict healthy eating and exercise and stayed within 10st – 10½ st weight range and was fairly happy.

I started a job where I had to commute and work long hours. I couldn’t find time to go to the gym and my busy life meant I was eating convenience foods. Rose to 12 stone! I joined Slimming World and got down to 11 st but it was tough with too many rules to follow. I went back up to 12st pretty quickly.

How being overweight has affected you…

When I carried excess weight people always told me that I wasn’t fat and that I was meant to be like that. It was my natural frame and I looked good. I know I wasn’t obese but I never felt good about myself. I was convinced that it was ‘my age’ and that it was for me. Now I feel supremely confident about the way I look and moreover in control, not only of my weight but also of my life. Bizarre isn’t it? I feel I can achieve anything I want to!

I know in the grand scheme of things it is not a great achievement. However, for many of us it is the one thing that eludes us even when we had overcome bigger challenges. I am also an IBS sufferer and my weight loss and better eating patterns have improved this.

Motivation to Diet

Positive self-image.

Health, particularly getting into good eating habits before I start to do damage.

Control my IBS.

Role model for my family and friends.

Nice clothes that fit well.

Increased energy.

Discovering Weight Loss Resources

My Mum was reading an article in a women’s magazine of different types of successful diets that people had lost weight with. Knowing that I hated following restrictions and used the Internet she pointed out WLR. I was sceptical as I related calorie counting and going hungry so didn’t try it immediately. However, I logged on at a really low moment and thus began.

How WLR's Calorie Counting Tools Help

Initially I tried the free trial and just logged everything I ate normally into the food diary without restriction. Although I ate fairly healthily (no sweets/chocolate/pop etc) my calorie intake was over 2,000 per day. I was astonished. I never ate breakfast as it made me feel nauseous but would snack on dried fruit, nuts & seeds until lunch. I was getting through around 500kcals worth before even starting to eat!

Signing up immediately I forced myself to eat breakfast to get over my snacking. A great plus for digestive health - sounds like an advert now!

I was previously convinced that as I gained weight easily that I couldn’t eat 3 meals per day and lose weight. I have since blown that perception away. Now I am in control of what I eat, what combination I eat and when I eat and tend to stick to 1 large meal with 2 smaller meals during a day.

The Best of Weight Loss Resources

Food diary mainly as it’s my lifeline!

Exercise diary as I can’t eat what I need to without these kcals.

Progress Charts, which motivate me when I can see how far I’ve come, particularly when I am only maintaining.

Nutrition Balance Pie Charts are great and seeing that I get enough fruit and vegetables is important to me.

Targets. I review and alter these depending on other challenges in my life.

Mandy's Calorie Counting Tips

I hate measuring food. It makes me feel like I am restricting myself. Buying portion-sized food therefore helps me. Although it can be more expensive it is worthwhile. For example, I buy porridge in individual sachets for breakfast, fresh soup in cartons, small pieces of meat packaged with weight. I obviously needed to weigh initially but I tend to know now how much space my pasta/rice/potatoes need to take up on my plate. I do still check occasionally when I am not losing just in case!

For meals that I cook myself regularly I always use the recipe section in the food diary. This is great as you don’t have to keep repeating the collation of all of the ingredients.

As mentioned before, it has helped me to regulate my eating i.e. three meals per day. The recommended calorie intake is great along with the breakdown of calories per meal. It helps to ‘manage’ mistakes.

My favourite report is the Calories History report. If I have gone over my quota for the day I can check back over a few weeks to see if I am doing it regularly and if there’s a pattern i.e. pre-menstrual and this helps me to understand my eating habits. It also helps me not to panic as I know I can catch up over a couple of weeks. For example, on Mondays I always go over my quota – I still don’t know why!

I have read umpteen articles that tell you weight loss is simple science – calorie intake versus calorie expenditure. Although I knew it to be true I convinced myself that I was the exception. I didn’t eat enough! Having a calorie counting tool that told me different and helped me to progressively lose weight at a rate of 1 – 2lbs per week has helped me to understand my body.

Setting achievable targets helped. Getting under 11st was my first target and I thought that was all I wanted but now I have realised I can keep going and I feel amazingly empowered!

Mandy's Vital Statistics

	Before	Now
Weight	12st	9st 8lb