My Story.... just like so many others out there!

So where do I start and which part of my life do I want to write about?

When you are overweight and have had a life time trying to fight the obsession with food, it is sometimes difficult to understand how it all came about. What isn't difficult, is knowing exactly where you are now.

Right now I am happy and getting happier every day. For those who have had years of dieting, years of being depressed about being overweight, being really cheesed off about others that have never experienced the battle but are always full of advice.....this diet may be the one for you!

I cannot count how many diets I have been on in my 42 years, but I will never forget my first. After spending my primary school years staying for school meals, having each day being told I am to sit on the table for the ‘special needs' kids (that could never happen today! There would be an outcry!!), as I HAD to have a diet meal. Even the school dinner lady was in on the vindictive ‘point the finger YOU ARE FAT' band wagon. Not allowed to sit with my friends..... not good enough because I may, just may, just a little bit oh so bad ... be tempted to eat something naughtier than the egg salad put in front of me.

So at the tender age of 10 years old, after being taken to the doctors to check my blood sugar levels for diabetes (not being told until I insisted, why I was peeing in a pot), I was taken to ..... Weightwatchers! Don't get me wrong my parents intentions were from the heart, but really they did not have any idea of the impact that would have on my impressionable self esteem, which had already taken a bashing from the ‘special table' treatment....

Can you imagine all those adult faces staring at you as you walked in to weigh, all with their heads tilted making ‘that' smile at you.

I still cannot believe today that I sometimes get ‘that smile'. The one of pity. What are people like? Do they know that we just want to be treated the same as any human being. You just know,don't you, when they are looking at you, that in their minds they are saying ‘why, are you are so fat? Why don't you just stop eating? Why don't you diet?'

So much for them really understanding the mental energy required to get on and do something about it. Let alone trying to sustain the energy levels you need .... until the next time you look in the mirror and realise you have let it slip yet again, and bang in a flash you are size 24 and moving up the sizes in no time all. So back to the same place of not caring, eating more, spiralling down to lower depths than before. Not much anyone can really say or do to dig you out of it, well........ this diet could be for you.

Don't get me wrong I have tried, tested and even succeeded at some diets. I haven't yet been able to sustain the length of time needed to change my life's eating habits long enough to re train my 42 years of stuffing food into my mouth without even knowing what it tastes like. It has been a challenge and I can confidently say that for the first time in my life I now only eat when I feel my stomach rumbling. Yes I have stopped shoving food into my mouth for the sake of it.

Now I have tried various diets - try to name one I haven't! But with 3 young children and full time job I needed something that I could just do, it worked with ease, and it was not complicated. I needed to be back into that place where I was angry enough with myself I would try to diet again. This time however, things were different.

So I set the scene.... primary school gates, beautiful young mums with their tracksuit bottoms on ready for their fitness class and a tall distinctive man comes up to me and says to me "your husband and I have been talking about you, and I understand, hit me if I am wrong, you want to lose weight?". My look must have done something - I was not sure if I wanted to cry for sadness or joy that someone wanted to help me! Steve chatted to me briefly about being in the place ready to do something about it ...... to my shock he was actually talking ‘I was a fat person once language', so you know then don't you that they have the credentials to help you move to the next step.

That next step took me about six weeks !!!! .... not too rushed about giving up my lovely bread and carbs! The Vicar of Dibly and I have so much in common, mainly the love of something beginning with C!!! Chocolate of course!

After a few weeks Steve just said something to me that changed my life. He said "don't wait too long because you never know how long you have". I would say to those who know Steve and his family...... you know that came from his heart.

So the meeting was arranged. I was so nervous but so determined to show Steve how I used to look and how I wanted to look again..... and more importantly to stay looking like that forever. I was correct in my assumptions that yes I had a few home truths asked of me and also told to me..... it is never a bad thing to have people around you that are honest but speak from the heart. Preferable not in your family!!!

So with the prospect of a new life ahead, new dreams, and NOT BEING FAT was too irresistible. I thought I would just give the Lifestyle Diet a go to start off with but it became addictive. Addictive in the sense that I did not and still do not want to give up this new found life style.

I have only just begun my journey but the Lifestyle Diet is so simple, so easy to manage (you need that in my busy life) and has made me think more about myself, taking care of myself and realise by doing that my family also reap the benefits. May I say just one more thing..... energy levels I have never had, my complexion is the best it has been for years, enjoying being alive again.

So any advice I would give ..... believe in who you are, treat yourself better than you do, you do deserve it, have a goal (one from the heart).... mine is that I want to be around to see my children grow up. I don't want them to be without their Mum, and more importantly.... don't ever beat yourself up if you fall down - pick yourself up and keep trying and do better the next time. This Lifestyle Diet is working for me and it will for you too.

Sarah C

Devon

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