“I Wanted To Get Me Back”

Elizabeth realises now that she wasn’t big boned or naturally curvy, and was only hiding behind such clichés.

Facing Facts

Once a keen horse-rider, Elizabeth had given up riding because she felt too heavy for it. And when she returned from a three-month trip in the US she’d put on so much weight that her parents didn’t recognise her. So she decided to take charge of the situation: she turned it around by seeing it a challenge, an opportunity to make some important changes.

“As my social life expanded,” says Elizabeth, “so did my waistline. I could tell my friends were shocked, although nobody mentioned it to me. I had great friends and a new partner but I was unhappy with how I looked and felt.”

Fear of Failure Turned into Online Success

Being a very private person, Elizabeth decided to keeps things under wraps and joined Weight Watchers Online where she could remain anonymous.

“My mum used to attend Weight Watchers Meetings when I was growing up, and I was familiar with the Discover Plan™ as some of my work colleagues had talked about it. But I wasn’t brave enough to face a group of people and instead decided to go online,” she says.

But Elizabeth hadn’t anticipated how much fun the online community would be and how much support it would provide her with. “I got tremendous amounts of support, answers to even silly questions and talking to so many people really made me think about food, my attitude to it and the complex relationship we can have with it.”

In addition, the online POINTS® Calculator became her ‘lifeline’ and she fully relied on the daily meal plan to keep her on track.

Recipe Nut

Before joining Weight Watchers Elizabeth never planed her meals and would think nothing of having a bacon sandwich for breakfast or even a microwave curry if she was hungover! Her eating habits today couldn’t be more different, and she gets just as much pleasure planning and preparing meals as she does from eating them. “Cooking is also a great way to save money and it’s better for the environment as I waste less food,” she says.

Say Cheese

Not being ashamed of seeing herself in photographs was a real turning point for Elizabeth, and she is no longer camera shy!

“I showed my old photos to my friends the other day and they were clearly shocked, even though they knew me at the time,” she says. “It reminded me of how much I have achieved, and that motivates me and reminds me why I wanted to lose weight.”

Elizabeth realises now that she wasn’t big boned or naturally curvy, and was only hiding behind such clichés. Today, she is aware of her strengths and weaknesses and knows how much her determination, willpower and knowledge have helped her develop and grow in all kinds of situations. And this, in her own words, is “very empowering”!

“I’ve taken up horse riding again and no longer feel self-conscious about writing down my weight in the booking form. Nor do I worry about having to ride a big horse to carry my weight!”