I have been overweight for as long as I can remember. It has been the cause of a lot of self doubt, hatred and anxiety. And with each negative, came the wave of comfort eating and hiding in the house that led to more and more weight gain. I have always been good at exercising and keeping fit, but no matter how hard I exercised, I pigged out just as hard.
Last year I went to Thorpe park and I was too large to fit on several of the roller coasters. It was the first time that I realised that my body was not only stopping me from doing the things I loved, but affecting those around me. I was always in constant fear that my larger form was inconveniencing those around me and I was always so tired, even walking up a flight of stars would have me out of breath.
I realised that something had to change, I had seen online that one of my friends had been to Slimming World and lost an incredible amount of weight so I looked into it, and there was a group not far away from my house! But still my anxiety persisted and even though I knew the group would be friendly, I was so scarred of being judged and talked about that I put off going for a month! during which I continued to eat tonnes and gain weight.
It was at this point that my mother stepped in, she often voiced her worry about my body shape, being a GP she knew the dangers I was in, but I never really listened to her. When I left for university I weighed almost 21 Stone and I still hadn't attended one meeting for Slimming World. So she appealed to my competitive side by going first and telling how much fun it was and what plans she had to lose weight. This pushed me over the edge and I went to the first group I could, the very next day!
Week 1:
I arrived at the session 15 minutes early and had very bad anxiety, but within minutes I was welcomed by my lovely consultant Jo, given a wonderful cup of tea and was taught all about the world of Slimming World. Unlike many diets that I had tried before, Slimming World works by 'rationing' your calorie and fat intake to 15 syns a day. My first weigh in was horrible and I was 20 stone 7.5 pounds (130.4kg), I set myself an initial target of losing 71 pounds (33kg) I was upset about how heavy I was. I had always listened to my parents saying how my eating and weight was getting out of control but I never really believed them. but I set myself to the task and began my Slimming World journey. Over the first week I ate similar amounts of food that I normally do but changed the sugar and the fat for vegetables and fruit. I made sure that I did at least 40 minutes of exercise a day, whether that was just walking to campus or going to the gym. On my first weigh in I lost an incredible 6.5 pounds! (2.9kg) and I remember walking to the car and bursting into tears of joy!
Week 2:
After the success of my first week, I was on a mission! I spent most of the week in the gym and began working with a personal trainer, Kat. My eating was also improving as I didn't even dare eat anything sweet for fear of gaining weight. This wasn't such a bad thing though as it meant I was not spending nearly as much money as I used to. However, my stress levels were gradually increasing as my jobs within the University began. I was working as a Course Rep. for my department (English Literature), a student trustee for my student's union, where the meetings only really contained foods that were unhealthy and fatty, I tried to portion out meals in advance and have packed meals ready for me, but I had so little free time that it was hard to prepare meals. When I weighed in, I was still impressed with a 4 pound loss (1.8kg), I had 10.5 pounds in just two weeks and was not only given my 1/2 stone award, but I was slimmer of the week as well!!
Week 3:
Week 3 was difficult for me, I started as an editorial assistant for a publishers in London so had to commute in on Mondays and Tuesdays, so on-top of dealing with a commute, I was also sat at a desk all day doing relatively mindless tasks. Before, I would sit at my desk working eating as I went, not caring about calorie intake or Syns. But now, I knew just how bad the food I wanted to eat was. London is stressful at the best times and trying to juggle travelling and working there as well as my degree and other jobs was very difficult. Sticking to plan also made it challenging, but I did my best and at the end of the week had another 2.5 lbs (1.1kg) off. I was now just 1 lb off being a stone lighter and I was determined!
Week 4:
I was once again working in London, and when I got into the office on Monday, I discovered that all the work I had done in the previous week was wrong and I had to start over again. This led to a lot of emotional eating and the plan went completely out of the window! However, after Tuesday I started again and spent the rest of the week on plan. I was still working out a lot in the gym and I was gaining a lot of muscle mass! But with another 1.5 lbs (0.6kg) off, I wasn't complaining, I now had my stone award and felt unstoppable!
Millie Xxx
Last year I went to Thorpe park and I was too large to fit on several of the roller coasters. It was the first time that I realised that my body was not only stopping me from doing the things I loved, but affecting those around me. I was always in constant fear that my larger form was inconveniencing those around me and I was always so tired, even walking up a flight of stars would have me out of breath.
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| Whenever I sensed a camera, I would try my best to straighten up and suck everything in! but in 2016 this was as thin as I could make myself! |
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| I never minded having my photos taken, and at events I was always happy to smile with my friends. But I would always be conscious of my double chin and bad skin condition! |
Week 1:
I arrived at the session 15 minutes early and had very bad anxiety, but within minutes I was welcomed by my lovely consultant Jo, given a wonderful cup of tea and was taught all about the world of Slimming World. Unlike many diets that I had tried before, Slimming World works by 'rationing' your calorie and fat intake to 15 syns a day. My first weigh in was horrible and I was 20 stone 7.5 pounds (130.4kg), I set myself an initial target of losing 71 pounds (33kg) I was upset about how heavy I was. I had always listened to my parents saying how my eating and weight was getting out of control but I never really believed them. but I set myself to the task and began my Slimming World journey. Over the first week I ate similar amounts of food that I normally do but changed the sugar and the fat for vegetables and fruit. I made sure that I did at least 40 minutes of exercise a day, whether that was just walking to campus or going to the gym. On my first weigh in I lost an incredible 6.5 pounds! (2.9kg) and I remember walking to the car and bursting into tears of joy!
Week 2:
After the success of my first week, I was on a mission! I spent most of the week in the gym and began working with a personal trainer, Kat. My eating was also improving as I didn't even dare eat anything sweet for fear of gaining weight. This wasn't such a bad thing though as it meant I was not spending nearly as much money as I used to. However, my stress levels were gradually increasing as my jobs within the University began. I was working as a Course Rep. for my department (English Literature), a student trustee for my student's union, where the meetings only really contained foods that were unhealthy and fatty, I tried to portion out meals in advance and have packed meals ready for me, but I had so little free time that it was hard to prepare meals. When I weighed in, I was still impressed with a 4 pound loss (1.8kg), I had 10.5 pounds in just two weeks and was not only given my 1/2 stone award, but I was slimmer of the week as well!!
Week 3:
Week 3 was difficult for me, I started as an editorial assistant for a publishers in London so had to commute in on Mondays and Tuesdays, so on-top of dealing with a commute, I was also sat at a desk all day doing relatively mindless tasks. Before, I would sit at my desk working eating as I went, not caring about calorie intake or Syns. But now, I knew just how bad the food I wanted to eat was. London is stressful at the best times and trying to juggle travelling and working there as well as my degree and other jobs was very difficult. Sticking to plan also made it challenging, but I did my best and at the end of the week had another 2.5 lbs (1.1kg) off. I was now just 1 lb off being a stone lighter and I was determined!
Week 4:
I was once again working in London, and when I got into the office on Monday, I discovered that all the work I had done in the previous week was wrong and I had to start over again. This led to a lot of emotional eating and the plan went completely out of the window! However, after Tuesday I started again and spent the rest of the week on plan. I was still working out a lot in the gym and I was gaining a lot of muscle mass! But with another 1.5 lbs (0.6kg) off, I wasn't complaining, I now had my stone award and felt unstoppable!
After four weeks of really hard work I was just over a stone lighter and I felt amazing! Exercise and working out is getting so much easier and I am loving every second! I won't deny that sometimes I feel the urge to get a pizza and I get so jealous of my friends eating whatever they want, but I know that when I reach my target, I will be so proud of myself and my efforts. I cannot wait to see what happens!
If you want to help me get to Machu Picchu, please go to: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/milliefarquhar1 and donate to Childreach International! they are an incredible charity dedicated to improving children's lives and even the smallest donation will help :)
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