Weigh-Less

How I Lost 21kg for Good: A Journey of Consistency, Not Perfection

No one person is perfect, you will not always stick on your menu plan 100%, but being consistent will get you at your goal in the end.

I have struggled with my weight my whole life. I cannot remember a time that I didn’t try to lose weight. Since being a teenager I was compared by the people closest to me for being overweight. I was always the 'bigger' person in the family or friend group. And because of this, I have always felt insecure about my body. As much as society leads us to believe we should embrace people’s bodies no matter the size, people are often judgemental toward people who are overweight. I have tried and tested every possible diet and weight loss pill and shake and failed every time. I also joined Weigh-Less in the past, but I could never really commit to get to my goal weight.

I was at the lowest point in my life, not loving what I saw in the mirror. After my son was born, and with my pregnancy, I gained even more weight and I really struggled. This was supposed to be a happy time for me and my new family, but instead I felt unhappy with my appearance. Being overweight always made me feel self-conscious; besides the physical limitations that come with being overweight, my mental health was an even bigger obstacle, as I was truly unhappy with myself. And being a mother, I needed to show up for myself in order to be there for my son.

By the time he turned five, I had had enough. I was tired of hating myself. I decided to get out my old Weigh-Less booklet and "go back to basics" as I knew Weigh-Less is a healthy lifestyle. I didn’t need to cut out anything, and it was very manageable to fit into my lifestyle. Although I knew what to do, my husband encouraged me to join Weigh-Less again; and by joining, I would be held accountable by my Group Leader to stay on my plan.

The first week after I joined felt exciting... this was the beginning of the new me! In the past I have tried and tested almost every diet trick and trend there is... and every time I failed. This was also my third time joining Weigh-Less, where the previous 2 times I also failed to reach my goal weight before I gave up. Joining was the BEST thing I could have done; and for me, third time was the charm!

Planning for the week ahead and meal prepping played a big part in my weight loss journey. I also kept my meals simple and most of the time I ate the same foods over and over. Like anything in life, nothing comes easy. I did not reach my goal weight without any obstacles. There were always temptations, whether it was social events or holidays. Sometimes I was successful, and sometimes not. But I never allowed one mistake to snowball; I just went on with my plan.

For me, the weekends were my biggest hurdle and still can be. I am not always successful at sticking to my menu plan over the weekend, but I did not let one failure stop me. No one person is perfect; you will not always stick to your menu plan 100%, but being consistent will get you to your goal in the end.

Through my Weigh-Less journey over the past 13 months I have learned to love myself, and my body, with all of the imperfections, and most of all, for the very first time in my life, I am truly PROUD of myself for reaching my goal. In the last couple of months I have received so many compliments from friends and family, sometimes it feels unreal. Although I can see that the number on the scale is going down, I still find it difficult to see the change in the mirror. But getting a compliment from someone just feels a bit more validating, that the hard work and effort did pay off.

Reaching my goal weight felt unreal. I felt I had accomplished something I had been struggling with my whole life — the feeling is indescribable. I feel AMAZING in my own skin! When you are losing the weight, and the results are showing on the scale, sometimes I struggled to see my skinny self in the mirror. The realization only truly sets in when you can walk into any shop and pick any piece of clothing, and it fits!

Over the past year, my self-confidence has grown so much, and my knowledge regarding better and healthier food choices has grown. Reaching my goal weight does not mean this is the end of my journey. Now the next step for me is to maintain my weight. I will never allow myself to gain that weight back…. I did not lose the weight, I got rid of it. I also incorporate walking and light weight exercises in my daily routine.

My best advice for anyone wanting to lose weight is to start today... not Monday or next week or next month... but TODAY.

Bianca’s Top Tips

1. Meal prepping works! As cliché as it sounds, meal planning and prepping my meals for the week helped me stick to my meal plan.
2. Keep your meals simple - it is not necessary to make complicated recipes. By keeping my meals basic and not complicated, it really took some stress off my mental load.
3. Incorporate only the foods that you like – you are more likely to eat the fruit and veg you enjoy than trying all the foods in the lists.
4. My 'go-to' dinner was (and still is) a variation of stir fry. Using my protein of choice mixed with veggies (mostly the free vegetables). Quick and easy!

Bianca’s Stats

Start Weight: 90kg
Goal Weight: 69kg
Current Weight: 68.5kg
Total weight loss: 21kg
Time taken to achieve goal weight: 13 months