Page 22 - Healthy food

Success story

ordering takeaways I’d get a chicken kebab is. After 30 years of fad diets I discovered
with salad and ditch the pitta bread. If it was LISA’S HEALTHY DIET there was no magic diet after all. It was
an Indian, I’d plump for tandoori chicken BREAKFASTS O Low-fat simple maths: you have to burn off more
cooked in yogurt rather than a creamy sauce O Porridge with Philadelphia or feta energy than you put in. I’d always resisted
and just have a small portion of rice or a skimmed milk and with celery sticks exercising, but for me it was the key to
vegetable dish. sweeteners O Pack of seed shots getting the weight off and now keeping it off.
O Greek yogurt and O Dried fruit (in I’ve gone from not being able to run at all to
Exercise was my breakthrough blueberries/banana portion-controlled being able to do a 10K quite comfortably. I
The amazing thing was I actually started to O Poached egg on a bags) can’t describe how wonderful it is to walk
enjoy exercise, too, which was a first for me. slice of wholemeal DINNERS into a clothes shop and be able to buy a size
I’d always dodged it in the past and hated toast (no butter) O Lean steak or 10, and to try things on and find everything
running (well I couldn’t really run). Gary with grilled salmon with salad looks nice.
suggested I try a 5K and I chose the Colour mushrooms and O Greek salad using Just before Christmas last year I reached
Run, a fun event where you’re blasted with tomatoes low-fat feta my target: 109lb off – around 40% of my
powdered coloured paints as you run with MID-MORNING O Casserole body weight. It was such a wonderful
friends. My daughter, sister and a couple of SNACKS O Home-made Christmas present to end my 50th year
friends all said they’d run with me to support O Banana or apple chicken curry having achieved my goal. And unlike past
me (even though it was more of a jog/power LUNCHES O Mushroom risotto ‘diets’, I just have to carry on eating normally
walk for me). But it was incredible to O Homemade soup O Jacket potato and burning it off.
complete the 5K, and I had my first real taste and yogurt and fruit with tuna and salad The Calso gym has now started using
of achievement. O Couscous and O Vegetable and photos of me as a part of its marketing –
After that, I started to go for a long walk chicken salad prawn stir-fry asking if people want to be ‘the next Lisa
once a week with a friend. I also worked out MID-AFTERNOON EVENING TREATS Parke’. Five of my friends have already signed
one to one with Gary at the gym, did a SNACKS O Glass of red wine up. It’s so weird to think I’m now an
couple of exercise classes and ran outside, O Packet of O Gin and diet tonic inspiration to them. When I went to see my
too. Sometimes I’d do weights, other times Wotsits/Quavers O Cupoftea and GP he didn’t recognise me and couldn’t
cardio and a spin class. Within a couple of O Fresh fruit a KitKat believe how different I looked.
months I was out exercising six nights a week This time round, I really do think I’ve
between 7 and 9pm – it just became the cracked it. I’m now doing all the things I’ve
norm for me. really have imagined I could complete an fought so hard against for most of my life. I’ve
The gym was an amazing place and I assault course (that was something fit and overhauled my lifestyle with both diet and
started to make so many friends there, who athletic people did). I also ran a mile in 7 exercise and know that I’m going to stick with
also encouraged me. If someone had told minutes and 42 seconds – a staggering my new habits. This isn’t a quick fix. It’s a
me even a year before that I’d be exercising time for someone like me who has always completely different – better – way of life.’
at such intensity so frequently I’d have fallen hated running.
over backwards. It was a massive life change.
I posted my weight loss on Facebook I started to feel happier
weekly. It was an average of 2lb a week – The combination of good food and exercise
sometimes more and sometimes less, but had other benefits, too: my mood improved
consistently downwards – and I got a great greatly and I slept better. I became so much
buzz when everyone posted me more words more confident about my body image – on
of encouragement and said how great I was holiday last summer I swam with sea lions in
looking. That really spurred me on so much. a pool at an aquapark. This is something I’d
There are plenty of negative things to say never have done in the past as I wouldn’t
about Facebook and social media in general, have wanted to be seen in a wet suit.
but I couldn’t have done this without the People keep asking me what my secret
support of all my Facebook friends. I felt
people were genuinely rooting for me. ^ Igotagreatbuzzwhen
My weight dropped every week – apart AS TOLD TO JO WATERS. PHOTOS: ROGER BAHARI. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT CALSO GYM AT CALSO.COM
from my 50th birthday weekend in January friends posted words of
2017, when I gained 4lb. I thought it would
set me back, but I was quite relaxed about it encouragement _
and just cracked on with getting the weight LISA, with personal trainer Gary, right
off – which I did.
Gary kept me motivated by encouraging
me to set goals for myself, but he never
pushed me too far – everything he suggested IF YOU’VE GOT A WEIGHT-LOSS SUCCESS STORY TO SHARE – or if you’d
seemed to be within reach. like to have your diet analysed by our expert dietitian to help you manage a
One of the challenges I chose was a Tough particular health concern, email info@healthyfood.co.uk.
Mudder race with my family. Again, I’d never

22 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE FEBRUARY 2018