Sophie Wilson Weight Loss Success Story

My Slim & Save Story…

The 26th January 2019 marked exactly one year since I began my Slim and Save journey. A year before I stood in my kitchen with some friends and had a little sob. I weighed 15 stone 4 lbs, and at only 5 foot 2 was a size 18/20 and was rotating three pairs of leggings and fat-face tops. I have always been overweight – since my late teens when I went on the pill and ballooned – and had yo-yo dieted all my life. That said, I had also always had quite a lot of body confidence, I had never ‘hated’ what I saw in the mirror – I had a big bum and big boobs and would always have described myself as voluptuous. Somehow, that had all changed in the latter part of 2017 (perhaps as I was getting older too!) and I was beginning to feel resentful toward my bulk.

My frustration was that I didn’t actually eat that badly. I like good food; fruit, vegetables, lean meats….and while I can’t deny the odd takeaway, I was not someone who ate crap. Alcohol was probably my biggest vice – wine in particular, and with quite a stressful job, the ‘odd’ glass of wine had become a nightly occurrence. Portion sizes were also an issue, and I was definitely eating more than I needed.

My neighbour had done slim and save and had lost a lot of weight. I was not keen on the idea of such a restricted diet, but I had reached a point where I knew ‘something’ had to be done. I decided I would use it as a kick start, and set a target of losing 2 stone. I had long ago decided that my optimum weight was probably 12 stone as no diet I had ever done had got me below that weight in adulthood. I was not meant to be slim I decided, but a ‘healthy’ size 14 was achievable.

And so I began. To my complete shock, I found it very, very easy. A single mum, with a pretty high-level, full-time job, I really liked the lack of choice (who knew?!) that doing simplicity provided. I didn’t have to ‘think’ about what I was going to eat; I didn’t have to weigh anything or plan complex combinations of food. I settled into a pattern of pancakes for breakfast, a soup or shake for lunch, and a ‘meal substitute’ pack like spaghetti bolognese or tikka masala for dinner (sometimes with the veg, sometimes not) and then a bar at about 8 pm. I have pretty much followed this routine since and found it really works for me.

I have not, however, been ‘on plan’ for the full 12 months. I have had at least seven full ‘planned’ weeks off – interspersed across the year when I have been on annual leave from work – and I also have had many, many (many!) ‘odd’ days off for social events. What I have learnt is that, honestly, that is OK. I refused to feel guilty because ultimately if I felt deprived, I would probably not continue it. As it was, I had a day/week off, thoroughly enjoyed myself and then just ‘got back on it’. May not work for all (I know people get anxious about ‘spiralling’), but it totally worked for me – and is also helping my mindset now I am approaching maintenance.

Other things I have not been so good on, milk allowance. Completely disregarded the limit on milk allowance because I love my tea and coffee. I made a decision early on that I was not going to worry about it too much. I didn’t, and while it may have had a small impact on the rate of weight loss, I am happy I made that decision. I guess it is all about making it work for you.

On the 26th January I weighed in at 9 stone 12.5lbs. I am pretty much there in terms of target (maybe another 1 or 2lbs just to give me a buffer) and am now fitting into a size 10 (in some shops at least!). I cannot believe I even typed that!! I never, ever imagined for one minute I would lose over 5 stone, and be in a size 10. I have NEVER been a size 10. Ever. I feel fabulous, and so much healthier. I am also now in the healthy BMI range (which I have to say is utter nonsense, but nonetheless, I have again never been ‘healthy’ in my adult life). The saggy skin is there, of course, but I am kind of OK with that. It is what it is. I am 46, so it was never going to bounce back. It’s a small price to pay.

And now the hard work begins! My maintenance plan is to use the packs as a 5:2 plan. I am currently experimenting whether I need to do 4:3 or 5:2 or something else (in January I have done 4 days on and 3 days off, but am still losing a little so I think I am going to try 3 days on and 4 days off from next week) – but I am acutely aware that there is a real danger of just slowly putting weight back on – so will be weighing in every 2 weeks, just to keep an eye on it. I feel really positive about the future though, and am still in full slim and save mode, even if I am only a part-timer now.

Reflecting on the year, I would say this to any people joining us:

1. The team at Slim and Save are great. Use them.
2. The Facebook group (which I honestly thought would be awful) is fantastic, and people are very, very kind and supportive.
3. Do it your way. If you cannot live without tomatoes. Do you know what, it probably won’t ruin the whole thing (sorry admin!) so just be a bit kind to yourself.
4. If you have a day off, you ARE NOT going to put on 3 stone! Just enjoy it and then get back on it.
5. Whatever you weigh, however you look, and whatever your personal challenges are – you matter, and you deserve to be happy. Be proud of every little achievement. One thing that makes me sad on the facebook pages is when I read people talking about failure and how ‘they have failed’ and how much they hate themselves. Don’t. It’s a pointless emotion.
6. Best of luck!

Sophie Wilson