"Since losing weight, I feel proud and much more confident. "
Start weight: 10st 12lb | Weight loss: 1st 12lb
Current weight: 9st
Height: 4' 11" | Age: 46
Studio: Norden, Lancashire
WW Coach: Melissa Freeman
Starting the change
I grew up immersed in the aromas of my parents’ Italian restaurant. At 16, I left school to work as a waitress there, and now I’m the co-owner. With rich pasta dishes and tempting tiramisu on the menu, I’ve overindulged at work many times. In August 2016, my husband and I returned home from a cruise we’d taken to celebrate our 25th anniversary. I was horrified to see how big I looked in our holiday photos and when I stepped on the scales, I found I was the heaviest I’d ever been. A few days later, I joined my local WW Workshop.
Simple swaps
I discovered I could still enjoy pasta – I’d just replace a creamy sauce with onions, peppers and a little pesto. At home, I began making recipes from WW cookbooks and relied on easy chicken-and-veg traybakes if I was short on time. I steadily lost weight each week. My husband even persuaded me to start jogging with him, and I managed to jog for 25 minutes without stopping on our first run together. Now I jog three times a week, and was thrilled to complete the 10k Cancer Research UK Manchester Winter Run.
The new, confident me
Since losing weight, I feel proud and much more confident. Even our regular customers have noticed the difference in me. Yes, the aroma of garlic bread is still enticing, but I’m relishing my success instead.