A small but powerful realisation keeps Abi on track
Abi's weight loss journey
Mum of three Abi joined WeightWatchers® to ‘do something for me’ when she felt like she was losing herself to her role as ‘mum’. Determined to improve her health, her fitness and her overall wellbeing, she lost 12kg in six months and says becoming a WW member is the best decision she’s made in a long time.
Abi's "Why"
"I wanted to lose weight but I wasn’t sure how. Growing up, I had watched many of the women in my life basically starve themselves to ‘get skinny’ and I didn’t want to go down that path. I wanted to lose weight and keep it off the healthy way."
I’ve realised I like how I feel now
“I now know that I genuinely like feeling healthier, fitter and stronger. And I genuinely like the way I prepare my food now too – and how it tastes. On top of the fact that WW is a sustainable lifestyle change rather than a quick-fix diet, it was realising that I like what I’m doing and how I feel when I do it that means I’m confident I’ll never go back to old habits and the old Abi.”
I love to eat – now I feel more satisfied than ever
“Something else WW has taught me is the value of choosing wholefoods over processed foods. They give you more bang for your buck because they keep you feeling fuller for longer and they’re generally lower in Points, so you can eat more if you need to – winning! Plus, I’m gluten free and while it’s really easy to make that work on the WW program, wholefoods tend to suit me better anyway. Every single day I eat good-sized meals, including a dessert, and I always go to bed feeling full and satisfied. I never ever feel deprived.”
Thinking differently about exercise made difference
“I stopped seeing it as something I had to do or something I should do to ‘earn my food’ and instead started seeing it as a privilege. I ‘get’ to exercise in order to become stronger and fitter and – my personal favourite – to enjoy that post-workout endorphin high. There’s nothing like it. After becoming a mum, exercise started out as being an escape, a little time for me away from the kids. It’s grown into one of the most important forms of self-care for me. It gives me more energy and puts me in a better frame of mind. In fact, I love it so much I became a fitness instructor in 2018!”
Persistence beats perfection – every time
“WW helped me realise that every day doesn’t have to be perfect in order to lose weight successfully and keep it off. In fact ‘perfection’ is way too restrictive and you can’t keep that up long term. Instead, as long as you consistently persist with the healthy lifestyle changes, you’ll reach the result you’re after and you’ll still get to enjoy the birthday celebrations and those special days and meals, because we’re all human and that stuff is important.”
WW gives you so many amazing tools
“The WW tools make such a big difference, partly because they make it easier to create a genuine lifestyle change but also because of the support they deliver. I also love that WW is holistic, it’s not just about the scales. There are so many other factors that play a role in your wellness journey and WW helps you realise that and do those things, too. You’re not just focused on a number.”