Laura & Simon Half-Way Progress Report! 12st Down!! (168lb/76kg)

This is very much a half way success story but on a big and couple scale!

Simon and I met in school 19 years ago! We are active young working professionals. We both work full time and we run our own business as well. We work very hard, but in return we enjoy lots of holidays and adventures and our hobbies are around travel and new experiences. We have always been very close as a couple and whenever we have achieved anything, we have achieved it together, and so here starts our S&S journey.

Its fair to say both of us have been overweight probably since our early teens. Not dramatically, but enough to make a difference! Both of us come from families who experience weight problems and it is easy for that to become an excuse and a deflection of responsibility. Whilst I fully believe genetics plays it part - the junk food and lack of exercise has more to answer for!! We got Married in 2010 and since then the weight for both of us has piled on. Partly being very content and happy, partly due to being young working professionals who are really busy and junk and convenience foods being a go to place, and of course lifestyle and social lives and those choices we make without thinking of it.

Over the years we have individually and together tried lots of other diets, all the usual ones! Most of them not really achieving anything and when a little weight has been lost it hasn't stayed off. In September 2016, after looking at some photos, we were both mortified. Unfortunately, previous attempts have been half hearted and without will. However, things seem to change - and we moved from pre-contemplation in the cycle of change to action. The next hurdle was finding the right diet for us. Some of the other diets we have done before were too complicated, we are both very busy, we work long hours, days and nights, sometimes we don't feel like cooking, it needs to be easy and accessible at work. Simon had suggested various shakes only approaches and diets, but we are a young couple with a large mortgage! Money is tight and these diets were not cheap, so we have a really limiting criteria. It needs to be strict - as too many options lead me to cheat, needs to be easy, accessible, flexible and not cost me anymore than my weekly shop.....!

I was reading through a thread in a Facebook group I was part of (not related to dieting) and someone posted that she lost a lot of weight through Slim & Save. I hadn't heard of it before, so I immediately Googled it, and read every single page of the site, at least twice!! I was so impressed with the losses on the success stories, the options for 2 plans, the huge range of products and most importantly when I worked out the price it was about the same as my weekly shop. So it was a winner on all counts! Simon and I looked at it together and then ordered 1 of everything x2.

For the first 4 months we both stuck to Simplicity only, we both needed the strictness, the detox, the ease and convenience. Once we gained a bit of confidence in the diet and in our ability to keep some control, we both added in a few lifestyle days here and there. I was a massive fan of adding a lifestyle day because I used to really enjoy cooking and was missing doing that. Lifestyle days also help with cravings and are now helping me learn and teaching me about preparing low calorie low carb meals.

So we started on 12th September 2016 and on Good Friday April 2017 we had both reached 6 stone loss! OMG! 6 Stone in just over 6 months - that is really great and made such a difference to our lives. Of course, we still have a lot more to lose. Simon would like to lose another 5 stone and I would like to lose another 6 stone. Our journey is long, however, I never ever thought we would make it this far, and this is the biggest hurdle over!

Losing weight has changed our lives in so many ways. We are fitter, healthier, and developing some body confidence. We are able to have self control and can see a future that is healthier. We both have more energy and our life no longer revolves around food. Not all social activities need to be high calorie restaurant food! We love travelling! Airplane extender belts are not sexy! We no longer need these and fit comfortable into the chair. And there are of course the unintended bedroom benefits as well ; )

Most of all it has educated on us food, calories, carbs and detoxed us from all the processed rubbish to which we become accustomed.

So now we are half way, we will continue our journey and go and get the last 5&6 stones off!! Of course, we will be completing the journey with Slim & Save and continuing after then to maintain using Slim & Save. Its important that we don't just go back to how it was before Slim & Save - Slim & Save will be in our lives for the foreseeable future to help keep us at a healthy weight.

Slim & Save is not a means to an end, it needs to be a lifestyle choice and a long-term plan. My top tips would be:

• Stick to plan 100% - going on and off wont help! Think of it this way.... for each event you come off you will gain back some weight (mostly water). 2-3 days to get back into Ketosis, 4-5 days to lose the weight back off and get back into the swing of things, re-going through the ketosis, detoxing, self-loathing etc! Is it worth it for that 1 cheeky cheat?!
• Set little mini goals with of course a non food related rewards - I found it better to set a goal about being 100% for a month rather than related to a specific weight.
• Hide the Scales! Do not weigh every day, its misleading, demoralising and can lead to negative mind set. If you can’t have them in the house and minimise your weighing habits, hide them! Ours are in the car!
• Use all the amazing S&S Support, especially the Facebook Group - amazing support from people who know what they are talking about.
• Get creative, it’s amazing what you can do with the packs! Check out recipes for inspiration.
• Use products that will maximise what you can have - yogurt, herbs and spices, veg allowance, etc.....
• Use the Planner.
• Don't compare your weight loss journey to anyone else, you are unique and people lose weight differently.
• Take progress photos along the way, and measurements are just as important as weight.

Doing this together has been the best thing. Cheating is no longer a choice, we can support each other, play on each others strengths and there is no “not allowed” food in the house!!

I now know this is possible and we can do it, I am motivated and inspired for the future, and I am so happy to do this journey with Slim & Save. If we can do it anyone can!