Nurse decided to take care of her own health

Gillian has lost nearly six stones

Nurse Gillian McLellan spends her working days easing patients’ pain and making life more comfortable for them in hospital.

But life began to get painful and her own health suffered while regularly working 12 hour shifts and being constantly on her feet at a Glasgow hospital.

The struggle was down to the excess weight Gillian was carrying and the mum-of-two knew she needed to take action in case she ended up in a hospital bed.

The 53-year-old said: “I wanted to change my lifestyle and I didn’t want to feel tired anymore.

“A lot of the time I was getting pain in my knees, which made walking and climbing stairs quite painful.

“Being on my feet for such a long time every day was becoming really uncomfortable with the extra weight I was carrying.

“I went initially to Weight Watchers meetings with my friend to help support her, but unfortunately my friend couldn’t come to the meetings anymore.

“At this point I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue but after seeing a picture of myself – one I didn’t like – I realised I was doing this for me and my health.

“I decided to come back the following week and continue the journey on my own.

“It was a bit daunting at first but knew I was making the right decision.”

Weight Watchers coach and her meeting team welcomed Gillian to slimming gatherings at Cambuslang Rugby Club every Friday morning.

While the weight began to drop off, Gillian’s family piled on the encouragement.

Now, more than two years later, Gillian has shed almost six stones and dropped from a size 18-20 dress to size 10-12.

Gillian said: “Friends and work AFTER colleagues were commenting on my weight loss and it made me feel really good, and my confidence grew.

“It even inspired some of my colleagues to start losing weight also and join Weight Watchers. BEFORE

“Our workplace is now a healthier place to be.”

Chocolates are still handed in to the hospital from patients’ relatives, but these days Gillian is able to resist over-indulging on the sweet treats.

She said: “My eating habits have drastically improved.

“A normal day’s eating used to be a sugary cereal, which I then added more sugar to.

“Lunch was a sandwich with crisps, and chocolates, and dinner was chips, and too many takeaways.”

On the menu most days now is cereal with fruit, chicken or tuna salads, yoghurts, and dinners often consisting of fish or chicken and lots of veg.

Gillian also enjoys treats sometimes, including the occasional takeaway dinner or sticky toffee pudding.

She also keeps her diet on track using the Weight Watchers Flex Plan and an online app.

She added: “One change I’ve noticed in me is that I used to walk with my head down to the ground as I was never confident enough to look anyone in the eye.

“Now I walk with my head held high and I love it.”