Life before WeightWatchers
Having been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age nine, I’d faced health challenges all my life. From losing a large portion of my eyesight at the age of only 30 to dealing with the side effects of insulin (feelings of hunger leading to weight gain), it’s not been an easy ride.
I live in Jersey and loved running my small pottery business, but with the pounds piling on, my health was really suffering. I needed to make a long-term change, which is where WeightWatchers came in and saved my life!
Spaghetti was the game-changer
A friend encouraged me to go along to WeightWatchers with her - at which point I was 19 stone 5lb and facing the real possibility of a gastric bypass and other possible Diabetes-related stuff. My GP was not happy with me or for me.
That’s not a surprise - I’m a 5”1 woman who also had a 5”1 waist measurement! But it was actually a plate of spaghetti bolognese that was my lightbulb moment. It was a huge portion, and represented just how I felt about myself and how out of control I was!
Moderation is key, slow and steady wins the race
I love food, but with WeightWatchers, I realised that moderation and portion size was key to losing weight and more importantly, getting my health back on track. With the support of my amazing coach Sharon O’Brien and lovely hubby, even the tougher times, like feeling that I was missing out on the best bits of Christmas dinner, were a bit easier.
It’s been a steady process, and that’s fine. I know better than to believe those other diets that promise weight loss in five minutes - which never last very long. And my wise husband said when I was not having the best day: “ It didn’t take five minutes to go on, so it might take more than five minutes to lose”.
The Diabetes and health challenge
Along with my seven-and-a-half stone weight loss, there have been some other significant improvements. My insulin requirement has gone down from 150 units a day to around 55, much to the delight of my GP who said: "Type 1 Diabetics don't lose this amount of weight." I said, "Well, if you are stubborn enough and want change enough you can do anything," Another major health benefit is that I have managed to ditch my blood pressure tablets along with my mobility scooter! I’ve gone from not being able to walk at all to taking the dog out and covering two or three miles at a time.
My WeightWatchers favourite things
Aside from the incredible support of my Workshop group, the app has become a faithful friend, The barcode scanner is brilliant when I’m in the supermarket - one zap and it’s all there! And I like being able to gain Points from drinking more water and moving more.
But really want to call out how great my individual plan is for my Diabetes. Fruit is all ZeroPoints, which is ideal when I need to rebalance a low-sugar day.
And finally…
It's not a diet; It's a lifestyle choice and an amazing plan. That's all I can say. I don’t think I’m being too dramatic when I say that WeightWatchers saved my life.
