When I weighed over 30 stone, going up and down stairs left me breathless and everyday life was physically demanding, writes Slimmimg World (Shildon) member, Tracey Pickering.
I always planned ahead to minimise walking –always first in to work so I could secure the nearest parking spot, so nobody would see me getting out of breath.
I put off going to the doctor because it would always be “your weight!”
If you have a lot of weight to lose it feels impossible – but I’ve lost over half of my body weight!
It’s not easy, I’m still working at it but I’m doing it alongside a consultant and fellow group members who know how it feels.
Whatever your weight, come along to a Slimming World group. There is no shame, no judgement – just a warm welcome and a plan!
Food optimising will help you develop new, healthy ways of eating – it’s about real food that can be enjoyed by the whole family – you never have to be hungry.
Image Therapy really helps you to identify triggers to unhealthy eating, how we’ve developed eating patterns over a lifetime that have to be undone – it helps you find the answers and develop a deeper understanding of our behaviour.
Lastly, Body Magic – getting moving. It’s surprising how much more positive I felt as I started to lose weight – beginning with short walks in the dark, as I didn’t want anyone seeing me.
I joined in some Wellbeing For Life exercise sessions, then a friend encouraged me to join Parkrun every Saturday morning at Hackworth Park.
I met members of Aycliffe Running Club, who were really supportive.
I then became a member and progressed to achieving my Run Leader award and volunteering as a Parkrun director.
Running is so important to me – when I weighed over 30 stone, I couldn’t even imagine walking a mile, let alone running several non-stop!
It’s a real marker and celebration of my weight loss. It’s something that I like to share with others.
Many doubt their abilities, so when I see individuals who were so self-critical running or run/walking 5km with a group of like-minded people, it is wonderful.
Don’t delay! If you want to feel better about yourself, change a lifetime of unhealthy eating and meet people who know how it feels to do this, come along to Slimming World!
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
