Lockdown has been difficult but Unislim’s virtual class is a step forward
From member to leader, Helena O’Brien shares how she lost over four stone with Unislim, how she copes with life during lockdown and how she is looking forward to reconnecting with her members through the new virtual Unislim classes launching tomorrow.
Mother of three Helena O’Brien admits that she has battled with her weight all her life.
‘I spent my twenties yo-yo dieting and doing various different programmes, losing a bit of weight and then regaining it all and then a bit more. I always looked at it as being on a diet, and it was always a hardship, and I was miserable with my weight. I met my husband and we had two children, and with each pregnancy, I took it as a green light to eat everything around me and I gained more weight. After the birth of my third little girl, who’s now four, I was over 15 stone. I had joined Unislim after the birth of my second child, but there were only 16 months between them, so just as I was getting into the plan, I was pregnant again and decided to revisit it after my baby was born.
‘When she was three weeks old, I joined my local Unislim class, and it really changed me because I really connected with my leader, Marian Hughes. For years, I just looked at weight loss as counting calories and “eat less, move more”, but then I really started working on myself and my relationship with food, and that’s when everything changed. I stopped looking at losing weight as being on a diet and started looking at it as a lifestyle change. I immersed myself in the plan. It took 18 months, but I lost just over four stone.
‘I love it, there was no hardship
— I was still able to enjoy a glass of wine. I’m a serious foodie, and love cooking, and didn’t have to compromise that. I just embraced a whole new lifestyle, cooking healthy food and just having a better relationship with food. I simply followed the plan, and I believe it’s the most sustainable, balanced plan out there.’
Helena became a leader in September 2018 and now runs two classes, one in Dooradoyle and one in Adare, Co Limerick.
‘When the lockdown happened, I continued to support my members through WhatsApp and every Friday I’d send out an audio talk which they have loved, and I have a