Advisor Aimee, nominated Lada for giving 110% to her Livewell journey and overcoming a recent weight loss plateau to go below 100 kilos – well done Lada!

Lada started her programme five months ago after reading about client, Claire Houghton’s weight loss success in the Derby Telegraph back in January. 

Here mum of two, Lada explains how she’s lost 15 kilos and 12 percent of her body weight. 

“I have struggled with my weight from the age of 6.  I know about healthy eating and exercise but putting them into practice isn’t easy and whenever I’ve lost weight before it’s always come back on.  Sustaining a healthy lifestyle long term is the difficult part.

My light bulb moment came when we learnt about portions during the activation meetings and Lose Weight Feel Great course.  It allowed me to control my calorie intake more easily without weighing/measuring all the time.

I’ve always enjoyed home cooked food and salads but I was using far too much oil and not thinking about the biscuits I was snacking on in between.  Advisors, Aimee and Sufyaan also talked about exercise in a different way – for enjoyment and as a daily habit rather than a dreaded necessity to lose weight.  They encouraged us to move more at home – marching on the spot for example while the kettle boils or doing some side steps during the ad breaks.

I’m not a gym fan so I used Livewell’s March Step Challenge to motivate me to walk more.  I enjoyed it so much that I increased my 50,000 steps a week goal to 100,000 and I was so proud when I completed it.  I started riding my bike again and using it instead of the car and going swimming too.  These are all types of exercise I like doing.

I’ve got into a weekly routine of swimming three times a week, cycling twice a week and walking whenever I can.  I used to sit in the car whilst my children went to their swimming lessons, now I use it as an opportunity to go for a walk and boost my steps. 

Livewell talks about the importance of sleep and hydration.  This was another revelation.  I didn’t realise the link between poor sleep and overeating.  Now I’m exercising more, I sleep so much better.  Getting a good night’s rest makes all the difference in making healthier food choices and levels of fullness.  I also try to drink more water because it’s good for our bodies and can help with digestion and preventing overeating.

Having lost almost 11 kilos by May, I hit a barrier. It was a big month of birthdays so I tucked into more unhealthy foods and ate less mindfully so my weight started to creep back up.  At a virtual group review in June, Aimee reassured us that celebrations and holidays are part of life and there may be weeks where our weight stays the same or ticks up.  She encouraged us to draw a line, not let bad days or weeks deter us and to write down what we are eating.  This pep talk did the trick, I call it Aimee’s magic advice and after a week I was down to 98 kilos! 

Livewell’s 10 For 10 Anniversary Challenge came just at the right time towards the end of June.  I was determined to do more than the daily mile for 10 days so I cycled 106km, walked 29km and swam almost 5km, a total of 140km or 87 miles!

Getting under the 100 kilo mark was a big achievement for me and something I didn’t believe was ever possible. Now I’m 96 kilos I have the confidence and self believe that I can get down to my target weight of 75 kilos.  I know it will take time but it doesn’t scare me anymore and I’m happy with my progress.

Advisor, Aimee said:

Lada has engaged with lots of Livewell sessions from the start - virtual boot camp, Cook Together, Lose Weight Feel Great course, Facebook group, virtual group sessions, cycling, Andy’s outdoor classes and more.

Lada always gives 110%.  It’s not easy putting in so much effort when you don’t see the results on the scales, but she’s continued non the less. I hope her experience will help motivate others who find themselves at a plateau with their weight loss.