Rahel, 51 years old, WW Workshop, lost 1st, 8lb
Yoga, biking, Nordic walking, and, of course, skiing in the wintertime — I’ve always been the active type. Recently, though, I’ve started to think about what would happen if I fell off my bike, injured myself skiing, or something like that. I started being more and more careful, but I blamed it on my age. Now I know: I can get old later!
My motto
Never start stopping!—that’s the motto I’ve been living by for years. I had already lost some weight with WW a few years ago, but a couple of kilos had found their way back to me, and I wasn’t happy about that. Then, my daughter (see Lia’s success story here) successfully started losing weight with WW and convinced me to go to a Workshop with her. My biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be able to lose weight now that I was in my early 50s. What if it didn’t work? But not trying also wasn’t an option.
My successful start
I already started meeting my weight loss goals within the first week. I hadn’t expected that; it completely calmed my initial fears. I even started to realise: 'Lots of things are still possible at 50!' And in fact, within just four months, I had lost a total of 1st 8lb.
3 reasons why I love the WW Workshops
• The motivation I got from my WW Coach and the chats I had with the other participants were incredibly helpful. They gave me tons of great tips; I had some wonderful experiences, and the process made me much more open.
• I was always a little nervous before my weekly weigh in: did I succeed this week, or not? The great thing about the weigh ins is that I got to know my own body really well. Even though these days, as a Gold Member, I only go to the Workshops occasionally, I weigh myself every week at home and track my weight in the app.
• They became an event for Lia and I. Afterwards, we would go shopping or cook together. It was a really special time for both of us, and it brought us closer.
The WW photo shoot
My daughter and I applied for the photo shoot with a video we made together. It was great fun. The shoot itself was the icing on the cake for me! My own photos were almost secondary, because I was so moved by how beautiful my daughter looked in hers.
My top tip
When I go out these days, I either have a glass of wine or dessert, but not both. I make a conscious choice to have one or the other.
My exercise
I’m back to being really active again. I’m excited about burning off energy, and I count my steps (my goal is 10,000 steps a day). But I don’t have to prove anything to myself now. That’s why I bought myself an e-bike. I’m actually in good enough shape to use a bike without electronic support, but these days, I mostly bike for fun. It’s so nice to bike up to a mountain lake, spend an hour or two in the sunshine, then leisurely cycle back home with a smile on my face. It’s one of my ways of treating myself.
My thoughts for the future
At 50, women’s bodies are changing, but so are our lives: our children start to spread their wings and leave the nest. I feel better prepared for these changes now. I still have a lot planned; there’s so much I want to do and see, and I’m looking forward to sharing time with my husband. And actually, I get more compliments on my appearance now than I did 30 years ago, despite my grey hair!