July Blog

Saturday 13th July

Hi everyone, 

This month I’ve been reflecting on just how much my life has changed since joining WW back in October 2015.

At first, it was just about losing weight and reaching ‘goal’ but it’s become so much more than just that.

My whole relationship with food has changed. Using smart points taught me portion control but it was when I started following No Count that I began to learn how to cook from scratch. Gone were the  packet paella mixes, jars of pasta sauce, frozen chicken kievs and oven chips that I used every day and in came the cooking from scratch which, to begin with, sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t. Gone was the same meal on the same day each week and in came weekly menu planning and trying lots of new meals.

Over the past three years, I’ve tried so many foods that I’ve never eaten before: hummus, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, gnocchi, chickpeas, lentils, mangoes, fresh figs, overnight oats, baked oats, edamame beans and falafel. And who’d have thought that we’d be making brownies using Ready Brek?

I’ve also changed from being more of an ‘indoor’ person to loving the outdoors. A day doesn’t feel complete until I’ve enjoyed a walk outside - and it certainly helps to relieve the stress after a busy day at work!    Last month, Ian and I had planned a walk into town (about 30 mins each way) but woke to find it raining. The old me would have jumped in the car but, instead, the waterproofs came out and off we went! 

One of the hardest things to change was how I felt about my body. An upcoming holiday always meant a new diet and a few months striving to lose weight. When I look back now at photos of myself on holiday in a bikini, I think I looked pretty good but, at the time, even though I was probably at an ideal weight for my height, I wasn’t happy with myself and how I looked. I was very self-conscious and spent the holiday envying all the other ladies on the beach. 

I can still clearly remember reaching goal in September 2016: 9st 12lbs - a weight I never thought I’d see on the scales again. I was over the moon! Until I looked at myself in the mirror! I think I was expecting to see what I thought of as a ‘perfect’ body. But all the lumps and bumps, wrinkles and cellulite were still there. Even though I was now at what I thought of as my ideal weight, I still wasn’t happy with the way I looked! I still saw an ugly body in the mirror.

It’s taken a couple of years to turn those feelings around and to stop those negative thoughts from surfacing. It’s not been easy, but I’ve focused on being thankful for what I have - my health, a job I enjoy and a loving family. 

I make time every day to do something simple which helps to make me feel good: walks on the beach and in the park, watching the sun rise or set, sitting on a comfy chair with a good book, creating a new recipe, a coffee with friends...

The journey that I started with WW in October 2015 hasn’t finished yet, but I’m in so much of a better place now than I was then.

On another note entirely, I’m currently looking for people who have had a successful weight loss journey with No Count to share their story and a photo of themselves in a new section we’ve created on the website. If No Count has helped you to reach goal or maintain, I’d love to hear from you! Or do you dip in and out of No Count for a change or to kick-start a weight loss? Just pop me an email on the Contact Form here and I’ll get back to you. 

Many thanks to Marie and Sam who have already submitted their stories to share with you all.  You can view them here.

Well that’s all for this month. A big thank you for all the comments, support and sharing of the website over the last few weeks. There’s a real buzz about No Count at the moment and it’s great to see so many of you enjoying it. I hope you all have a happy and successful month ahead! 

Helen xxx