ABOUT ME

In January this year (2016) I was happy but fat.  VERY fat.  But my husband never once nagged me about it and I did enjoy my life.  Yes of course at times seeing myself in the mirror annoyed me but overall it didn't affect me or my life.  I had never been fat before but about 20 years ago it started and kept going until I landed at the weight I was in January.

Then a chance meeting with a woman I know a little changed that.

I was in the old Dunnes Stores in Letterkenny one dark, wet January evening when I happened upon this woman whom I hadn't seen in about 10 years.  We used to go to the same table quizzes so knew each other to say hello to and maybe a wee chat.

In Dunnes that evening she mentioned she and a friend were going to join a local Slimming World group.  I mentioned that I knew for years that if I ever joined a group I would budge the bulge but had never gone so far as joining.  I had always though such groups would be full of fatties (like me) bemoaning the fact they were fat and I figured I already knew I was but didn't feel the need to moan about it much less listen to others moanings too.  She said it wasn't at all like that, she having previously been part of such a group, and encouraged me to go with her and her friend and they would even pick me up and take me with them.  I got around that by muttering yes, well, sometime I will or words to that effect and she gave me her number in case I changed my mind and would join them the following evening.  I said my goodbyes and left the store thinking "fat chance of me going to any group".

But in the car something made me change my mind.  My husband was just pulling out of the car park when I told him to stop and wait a minute and I left the car and made my way through the store until I found the woman to tell her I WOULD go with her to the group.  I have no idea what made me do it, just something came into my head and gave me a kick up the bum and forced me into the store.

And am I ever glad it did!

The group she and her friend were going to was in a local hotel and then after a quick google at home we found there was a group nearer to our home.  I rang the woman to ask if she and her friend could change and go to that group but she couldn't as it was the night after the hotel one and she worked that night of the week.

Ah ha I thought, a way out.  Now I wouldn't REALLY need to go given it was more effort to get there.  Yes, I was that lazy about it.  A tiny bit further in a car was enough to put me off.  Oh dear.

But then that little thing in my head told me to just go to the group nearer me even if I would be alone.  I am not shy (on the surface anyway) but the thought of walking in there on my ownio was a little intimidating. 

Come the evening I arrived at the location and entered a group I am now so happy to be a part of.

From the outset everyone was friendly and welcoming and I actually enjoyed it!  This was pretty amazing to me.  Of course I didn't enjoy being weighed as I knew it was pretty damned bad but it was all so discrete and no-one but you and the person doing the weigh in saw or heard what my weight was. 

And I can't believe I am about to put it out there, but ...

I will say it loud now ... SIXTEEN STONE AND ELEVEN AND A HALF POUNDS!  Which is MASSIVE for a 5' 1 1/2" woman like me.  How on earth did this happen?!  Well let me see, crisps, Lucozade, prawn curries with fried rice and poppadoms and prawn sesame toast regularly played a bit part in it.

So that first evening I paid for a 10 week slot (getting 2 further weeks free for paying up front ... I DO love a bargain!).  I paid it all because I am so bloody mean it would kill me not to use it all so that meant I would attend for AT LEAST 10 weeks.  And I knew that having paid there was no bloody way I was going to go to group and find I had gained a pound or more! 

The group meeting after the weigh-in was great.  Lots of chat and inspiration from my fellow members and the group leader, also called Catherine. 

I didn't need to go to Slimming World or any other slimming group to learn about food and how to cook as I am a pretty good cook and know what piles on the weight and what is better for you so for me joining the group was all about unleashing my competitive spirit to help me lose the lard. 

I left that meeting and the first thing I said to my husband was "I want to get Slimmer of the Week next week!".  Yes, I am that competitive.  However, the following week I didn't get it and hugely disappointed until I found out that Slimmer of the Week is award to the person who has lost the most weight that week and had a loss of weight or maintained their weight the previous week.  Being a newbie I wasn't even eligible for it.  I did get it the week after though :-)  And numerous weeks after that.  My competitive spirit was ably fed by being awarded Slimmer of the Month for February, March, April and May too!

Although I didn't need any help in the food department, Slimming World has a very sensible way of helping people lose weight.  They encourage members to cook from scratch but for lazy days give advice on the best ready made food to buy.  And there is NO calorie counting!  That would kill it for me.  Imagine having to weigh every single thing you eat and then calculate the calories?  That would stop me in my tracks and make me give up.  The way SW operate is there is lots of 'free foods' (ie fruit, vegetables, lean meat and so on) and then 'Healthy Extras' to cover foods like bread, cereals, cheeses etc.  And then we have 'syns' of which you are allowed 15 per day.  This allows a wee bit of naughty eating or drinking (gin in my case) so that your life doesn't change so much it is hard to keep up.  Very clever this SW ethos. 

And here I am just seven months later and nearly 6 and a half stone lighter!  All that with ease and never once having felt starved or denied.  Joining that SW group has been one of the best things I have ever done.  I have never missed group along the way simply because I don't want to.  I look forward to it every week (well other than the weigh-day-dread!).  I have made new friends who have been an inspiration to me with their stories and I like to think I have helped them too.  I add my recipes to their facebook page and some have been very successful and enjoyed by members of my group.  And these people at my group gave me the warmest and most appreciated accolade this month by voting me 'Woman of the Year'.  I can tell you, that had me on a high for a while after.

Losing the lard has been so great for me.  It has made me get up of my previously fat ass and actually DO things again!  Things that I could never have even contemplated doing at the start of this year.

This blog will bring some of them to you along with my recipes and thoughts and ideas on losing weight easily. 

My 'Woman of the Year' award