{"id":1890,"date":"2020-07-08T10:05:52","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T09:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/slimmingworld.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/?p=1890"},"modified":"2021-10-21T14:26:45","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T13:26:45","slug":"ive-lost-over-3st-during-lockdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/ive-lost-over-3st-during-lockdown\/","title":{"rendered":"“I\u2019ve lost over 3st during lockdown”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We know many people out there are finding it harder to be healthy during the coronavirus pandemic<\/a>. When we received an email from Danielle telling us she\u2019s been staying on track with her weight loss goals, even though lockdown started just one week after she joined Slimming World, we couldn\u2019t keep her inspiring journey to ourselves. This is her story\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bounding across the garden, I scooped up my daughter, Arya, and hopped into the paddling pool. As we splashed around in the water, Arya giggling away, I thought about how I wouldn\u2019t have been able to do this when I weighed 13st 12lbs. Back then, my partner Ryan was always the one to play with Arya while I watched from the sidelines, feeling too shattered to join them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although I\u2019d been putting on weight since I was 18, when I\u2019d treat myself to a takeaway pizza every lunchtime while working in a busy nursery, I really started to struggle after Arya was born. Looking after a newborn is hard work and I got into the habit of snacking on a family-sized bar of chocolate throughout the day to give me energy. By the time Ryan got home from work, I\u2019d feel too tired to cook (not that there are many meals you can make with a baby in one arm!), so we\u2019d order a takeaway or heat up a microwave meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Arya grew, I found it hard to do all the things I wanted to as her mum. I couldn\u2019t even get down on the floor to play with her because I knew I\u2019d struggle to get back up again. At the same time, my asthma was getting worse. Pushing Arya\u2019s pram up the hill to our house would leave me gasping for breath, and some days I\u2019d get shooting pains in my chest that stopped me getting out of bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When my uncle invited us to his housewarming party, I was dreading it. On the day, although it was warm, I insisted on wearing a big, fluffy coat over my baggy jumper. Then I spent the afternoon sitting in the corner of a sofa, watching Ryan chasing Arya around the living room as she crawled between family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back at home that night, I sat scrolling through the party photos on my phone \u2013 until I saw one that shocked me. Somehow, someone had managed to snap a pic of me without me knowing and I couldn\u2019t believe how big I looked. As I stared at the photo, I knew I needed to make a change. At the party, I\u2019d got talking to my uncle\u2019s partner. She\u2019d just joined a Slimming World group<\/a> that had opened at the end of my road, and she told me how much she\u2019d been enjoying the eating plan. I wondered if it could work for me, so that night I texted her: \u201cI\u2019m going to Slimming World with you tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At group the next day, I listened as the Consultant, Caroline, explained that as part of the healthy eating plan, I could have my fill of pasta, rice and potatoes. It sounded too good to be true! I had nothing to lose, though, so I went home and started a new routine. For lunch I\u2019d have a jacket potato with lots of tuna and salad. Then, instead of ordering a takeaway for dinner, Ryan would look after Arya while I cooked us a Food Optimising meal. We had lots of favourite dishes, including spaghetti bolognese<\/a>, chicken fajitas<\/a> and Chinese chicken curry with noodles \u2013 Ryan used to say that he didn\u2019t like Chinese food, but even he loved the Slimming World version!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When I weighed in at group a week later, I was amazed to see I\u2019d lost 6lbs, even though I hadn\u2019t felt hungry once. I was ready to throw myself into Food Optimising<\/a> and get to my 10st target weight\u2026 but then the UK went into lockdown and my Slimming World group had to temporarily close. Food Optimising was still so new to me and I worried that, without the support of Caroline and my fellow members, I\u2019d slip back into my old eating habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the next couple of weeks I tried to stick to the plan as well as I could, using Facebook groups and Instagram for meal ideas and keeping motivated by picturing myself getting a big loss when group eventually reopened. Then Caroline told me she was launching a Slimming World virtual group<\/a>! I was relieved, but also a bit nervous: I was still incredibly self-conscious about my size and I didn\u2019t feel ready to let everyone see me on a webcam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caroline was very understanding and reassured me that I didn\u2019t have to turn my camera on if I didn\u2019t want to, but within a few minutes of our first virtual group getting under way, I realised I had nothing to worry about. Everyone was incredibly supportive, sharing tips and stories about how they\u2019d been coping during lockdown, and no one cared what anyone looked like. The next week, I turned my camera on and enjoyed getting more involved, sharing my own ideas and telling everyone how my week had gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With the support of group, the weight continued to come off and I was feeling confident as my 21st birthday approached. Although I was sad that I couldn\u2019t meet up with my friends and family, Ryan and I had decided to make the best of it by ordering dinner from a takeaway that had recently reopened. I used the food search in the Slimming World app to plan what I was going to order, and I was looking forward to enjoying a birthday meal within my Syns allowance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the day came, though, all that went out the window. Throughout the day, friends and family turned up to drop off cakes and chocolates, and I found them too hard to resist. Although I carried on Food Optimising for the rest of the week, when I weighed in and found I\u2019d maintained, I felt like I\u2019d blown it. In group, Caroline and the other members helped me to see that I didn\u2019t have to let one day define the rest of my week, and I came away feeling much better. I followed the plan to the letter the following week and I lost 4lbs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now 3st lighter, I\u2019m only 6lbs away from my target weight and I\u2019m determined to get there by the time my real-life group re-opens. My asthma is back under control and, having dropped three dress sizes, I recently felt confident enough to wear shorts for the first time in years. Best of all, I finally have the energy to chase Arya around the garden and play in the paddling pool. I can\u2019t wait to take her to the play park for the first time when lockdown is lifted. Being an active mum is an incredible feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s fantastic to hear how Danielle has been keeping herself motivated \u2013 and how the support of her Slimming World group has helped her to achieve her weight loss dreams. If you\u2019d like to join a Slimming World group, your local Consultant<\/a> will be happy to tell you more.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d love to hear about your weight loss journey, whether you\u2019re just starting out, have overcome a slimming setback or are nearing your target. Tell us your story!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the UK went into lockdown one week into her weight loss journey, Danielle thought her dream of being an active mum was over. Then she discovered her Slimming World virtual group…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":1923,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[23,26],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1890"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slimmingworld.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}