Laurie Webb - Part 1

‘Mum, you’re fat!’ The innocently brash words of my five year old son got through to me like nobody else before him. My husband’s pleading had finally stopped, not through his acceptance of my weight problem, but rather through the disappointment of seeing no change. A relative had labelled me ‘disabled’ because I required the use of an extender belt on airplanes – my 138 kg belly just didn’t fit the standard belts.

I have battled with weight and eating problems for all of my life. I have a memory of being 10 years old, lying on a couch literally stuffing myself with Twisties ‘to celebrate’ the wedding of Charles and Di on TV until I writhed in aching tummy pain from all I had consumed. I went up and down in weight all through adolescence until the stress of uni took me past the 100 kg mark.

By the time I was 30, having delivered twins, I was 121 kg. I consulted with my doctor who recommended the Atkins diet. It was great to feel the release of weight coming off my body at a rapid rate. I got down to 90 kg before falling pregnant again – then the trouble with my new found freedom began as I couldn’t maintain the high protein, very low-carb diet. It wasn’t a sustainable lifestyle solution. After the birth of my daughter I was consuming a litre of coke every day, yet still maintaining the higher fat intake that I’d taken on with the Atkins diet. It was DISASTROUS! I was terribly irritable, tired all the time and felt trapped.

A friend encouraged me to try out her new fitness centre, Healthy Inspirations in Blackwood (SA). She was gentle but persistent so I finally booked in to find out about the program. I was soooooo suspicious of any ‘weight loss program’ and when I found out a couple of days later that cream in my coffee was not going to be an option I nearly walked away! It was the wise encouragement of the staff that kept me believing I could do it.

That was 57 kilos ago. I still have 12 kg to go and I know it’s just a matter of time. The difference is that I now live a lifestyle. I know there’s help that’s literally around the corner when I need it. The regular weighing at the centre helps me refocus with immediate feedback on my activity levels. On my diary cover I calculate how many steps I have left till I reach my goal! My best friend is my digital kitchen scale that I bought to make my goals more precise. I know this is a lifetime commitment and I’m thrilled to have found a workable answer. I recall at the beginning of my membership worrying out loud that I’d never stuck to anything for a life time. The consultant asked me if I was married and the light went on inside me!

Today I have energy and I inspire others! I can even nearly outrun my children at the beach! I sometimes remind my son how grateful I am that his words helped me do something about my problem. He told me yesterday that he had seen a person who was even fatter than me – ‘I mean before you got skinny’. The sweet sound of success filled the air!

LAURIE WEBB
February 2007

Laurie Webb - Part 2

5 months after reaching her goal.

LOST : 71.4kg, 198 cm and 22.6% bodyfat in 14 months

What’s it like to wear size 10 jeans? How does it feel to catch the admiring gazes of others when you’ve taken the trouble to look good? How good is it to be able to walk into clothing shops knowing you won’t have to hunt and hope for the last XL size – if they even stock it? How satisfying is it to be a role model to others as they draw inspiration from your success? And most of all, how does it feel knowing you have taken control of a major part of your life? FANTASTIC!!! It feels fantastic, girls!

I joined the Healthy Inspirations program in May 2006, weighing in at 138.5 kg, wearing size 26. I set a two-year goal to lose 70 kg, but achieved it in 14 months. I followed the program. The program said drink 8 glasses of water, so I drank the water. The program said exercise 30 – 40 minutes on most days, so that’s exactly what I did. When the consultants told me to measure my food portions, you guessed it, I did it. I ate the protein snacks. I made sure to have 5 cups of vegies every day. I held myself accountable to my food diary (Daily Journal). I said my goal statement daily. I learned to trust the program. And it worked.

Consequently today, not even 18 months from my first footstep in the door, I choose between size 10 and 12 clothes. I walk into shops I couldn’t have dreamed of before. I have turned into a runner. The girl who couldn’t even climb the fire track at the end of the street now uses that track as the warm up to her run! Four times a week! Even fit friends have invited me to join them as a buddy so we can reach our challenges together! What a turnaround. And I love it!

For the last 3 months I’ve been learning the delicate art of maintaining the success that I worked so hard to achieve. It still takes dedicated daily focus. In some ways it’s the greatest challenge so far because I’m learning to take responsibility for my lifestyle. A great key for me is always having a fitness challenge in sight. By setting gradual, manageable but stretch fitness goals I find I am able to keep a forward outlook. Keeping a strong fitness focus is also a great way of balancing out the extra indulgences that I take on.

When people tell me they are not a runner I laugh because I have never been interested in running in all my life. I just found my walks got easier, so they turned into climbs. Then that turned into a 1 minute jog, which led to a 2 minute jog, to today where my favourite track is to run for 30, climb for 10, then jog the 15 minutes back home. The euphoria I feel after my lungs have breathed deeply is truly addictive. I mean it when I say “What a turnaround!”.

One of the ways I help myself achieve fitness goals is to give myself verbal encouragement as I work out – I’m like my own fitness coach! Others who are working out at Healthy Inspirations when I’m there doing my 3 minute hover have often heard me declare out loud, ‘This is NOT negotiable!’ or ‘Good girl! Keep going’. I sometimes listen to a workout CD on my ipod when I’m in there as I find the music just the right tempo.

When I’m running I like to create mental pictures to help me stretch my run. In my mind I break up my running track into quarters as though each section is like the 15-minute mark on a clock. The last quarter of my run is the hardest to finish so I break that up into thirds, or ‘5 minute’ markers. As I pass each designated spot I visualise the clock hands working closer toward the finish of a cycle. Sometimes I imagine I’m running through months of the year where each quarter point turns into a new season – sounds odd but the imagery is a powerful help to occupy my mind and keep me finishing my course. I love meditating on scripture verses as I run, so I pick verses about running with endurance and finishing my race! I promise it feels great afterwards.

So this time next year I plan to report to you how I have maintained my achievements and that I’ve progressed into new goals. And just as I have said in my goal statement since I began the Healthy Inspirations program – ‘I will enjoy this victory for the rest of my life’.

Laurie Webb
September 2007