How I’ve dropped six dress sizes
Lisa Palin reveals the trick that helped her lose weight and stay slim. That was six years ago…
Sitting in the doctor’s consulting room, I felt a wave of fear wash over me as he turned to me, looking worried.
‘ You have extremely high blood pressure,’ the doctor said.
‘Are you sure?’ I muttered, numb with shock.
‘ Yes,’ he replied. ‘It can lead to a heart attack or stroke. You’ll need medication if you don’t start to slim down straight away.’
I’d just popped along for a routine GP check-up. At 22 years old, it was a big wake-up call.
I’ve been overweight most of my life. But it wasn’t until I left school that it really started to get me down. I’d go out drinking with my friends and they’d all meet people, but I’d be left by myself at the end of the night. It was a sorry affair.
I remember on my 18th birthday I wore a red top and skirt more suited to a 40-year-old than a teenager – it was the only thing I felt comfortable in. I’d joke about it, which was my way of coping, but deep down I did want to change.
I was so self-conscious about my body, I couldn’t even look in the mirror when I was getting dressed. I lived in leggings and baggy tops that hid my body. On holiday, I’d even wear a big T-shirt over the top of my swimming costume.
I tried dieting, but it never worked. I thought that to lose weight, I had to eat less and feel really hungry. So I’d go all day without eating. But then, of course, come the evening, I’d be starving, and I’d cave in.
Evenings were a real trigger time for me. I could eat a dinner of pizza and chips, then sit and watch telly and easily eat a family-size bar of chocolate, cake, biscuits and cheese on toast.
I decided to join Slimming World in July 2006 – after my blood pressure shock – because there was a class up the road from me in Exmouth, Devon. I was a size 18 and I remember feeling really nervous about going.
Thankfully, my consultant made me feel at ease straight away. I weighed in at 13st 9lb and set a target of losing 2st. I went away feeling positive, and with a new journal to keep a food diary.
I loved Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan, which has lots of unlimited ‘free’ foods such as fruit, veg, meat and pasta – and you can eat as much as you like and still lose weight. Plus, you can have five to 15 ‘syns’ – Slimming World’s name for treats – each day.
Looking at my diary, I soon realised I needed to eat regularly, and going hungry wasn’t going to help me lose weight in the long run. It also showed me how planning my meals for the week would help me to avoid temptation.
I swapped convenience foods for healthy home cooking, making recipes like Slimming World’s spaghetti Bolognese, prawn jambalaya and even a Sunday roast. I’d save my ‘syns’ for my marshmallow Flumps or pots of jelly in the evening.
I lost 6lb in the first week and I was sold. After 6 months, I’d shed 2st. Then to top it all, on my next visit to the doctor, I was ecstatic to hear that my blood pressure had returned to normal.
Soon after I lost all that weight,
I started going out with Thomas, a friend from work. He was supportive, and even ate the same meals as me. He was quite an active person and I started to think about exercising.
In October 2011, I felt brave enough to join a gym, and soon the weight started dropping off again. I started doing 30-minute circuits. A year later, I got the running bug.
By January 2013, I’d lost a total of 4st and weighed 9st 9lb. And then I decided I’d start running marathons. If somebody had told me when I was bigger that I’d do that, I’d never have believed them.
Thomas and I got married in September 2017. It was the best day of my life. I’ll never forget finding my wedding dress. I took a picture of the size 6 tag and put it on Facebook. I cried as I tried it on, thinking about how far I’d come.
Now, at 34, I’ve maintained my weight for six years and my life is better in every way. I’m more confident, I’m healthier and I’m full of energy. I even became a Slimming World consultant to help people lose weight and maintain their new size with our new Slim for Life plan.
At last I can wear clothes I’ve always wanted to. I love shopping – my mum jokes she hasn’t seen me in the same dress twice.
My rule is that as I slim out of something, I take it to a charity shop – then there’s no going back. This time, I know I’ll stay slim for good, and it feels amazing.
‘I thought that to lose weight I had to be hungry, and I’d go all day without eating’