"The beauty of WW is I don’t have to deprive myself."
Start weight: 12st 6lb | Weight loss: 1st 8lb*
Current weight: 10st 12lb | Goal weight: 10st
Height: 5' 3" | Age: 22
Studio: St Johns Methodist Church Hall, Bloxwich
WW Coach: Beverley Longsden
Medical condition
Last year I’d just started my teacher training when my world was turned upside down. Out of the blue I started suffering fainting episodes – some days I was fainting every half an hour. My boyfriend Tom took me to A&E and I was admitted. It took doctors a month to properly diagnose me with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), where your heart rate doesn’t properly adjust when you go from sitting to standing. It’s been totally debilitating, as I’ve had to put my studies on hold and I can’t drive or drink caffeine.
Putting on weight
As well as having to come to terms with my condition, medication I was given caused me to put on weight. I also wasn’t able to walk as much, and found myself comfort eating biscuits while I was stuck in hospital. It wasn’t long before I’d gained more than 2st, which made me feel even worse. At 22, I was desperate to get back to socialising with my friends and enjoying college life.
Regaining confidence
In January this year my mum, Bernadette, suggested we join WW together, to get me out of the house and help me get some confidence back. WW worked for me when I was 16, when I wanted to lose a few pounds before my prom, so I knew it could work again. I’m taking it slow and steady, but I’m already feeling much more positive and more like my old self again.
My moments…
WW has become my lifeline, as it’s the one thing I do that I know will get me out of the house and socialising with the new friends I’ve made at my WW Workshop.
I love to meet up with old university friends in Birmingham city centre, and Nando’s is a favourite for us. Being able to eat out in restaurants or order a Chinese takeaway is a glimpse of normality for me, and it's easy to track my food.
Because of my condition I’ve lost control over so much of my life, but food is something I can still plan. The beauty of WW is I don’t have to deprive myself. I can have that sausage sandwich for breakfast if I fancy it, then happily base the rest of my meals that day on ZeroPoint™ foods.
Recently I went out to an Italian restaurant with a friend and she didn’t even know I’d joined WW. When I told her she said: ‘I can’t believe you’re allowed to eat all that!’ The WW weight-loss programme is really flexible and everything's on the menu.
My boyfriend Tom and I enjoy date nights at the cinema or at a bar. He’s so proud of me losing weight, and having seen you can still have fun while making healthy choices, he’s decided to join WW too!
*Lauren has been following the programme since Jan 2018.