Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
WE DID IT WITH WW... SOCAN YOU!
If you’re still in need of some inspiration, let Tony and Selen tell you how they turned their lives around with the help of WW...
You’re determined that 2021 will be the year you discover a slimmer, healthier, happier you – but what can you expect as you try to put your New Year’s resolutions into practice? Here Tony Mcpartland and Selen Omer – who’ve lost more than five stone between them after embarking on a New Year overhaul of their lifestyles – share their inspiring stories to show how you too can transform your life with the help of WW...
TONY MCPARTLAND, 34
Tony is 5ft 11in tall and a managing director with an environmental consultancy. He lives with his wife Sarah, 37, and their children Millie, seven, and Elliott, four, in Brentwood, Essex. He has lost 2st 4lb, dropping from 16st 4lb to 14st, and discovered a positive new outlook on life after resolving to tackle his mental and physical health last New Year by following the WW Green plan. He says: ‘This time last year I took a long hard look at myself and didn’t like what I saw in the mirror. I was overweight, sleeping badly and too exhausted to keep up with my kids. I hated the fact none of my clothes fitted.
‘I’d done quick-fix New Year diets such as juicing in the past and lost weight, but put it all back on again afterwards... and more besides. I had to do something different this time – and stick to it. So I joined WW on this exact day last year because I knew they had a digital membership plan which meant I didn’t need to attend meetings in person. I was travelling all over the UK for work so I knew this would suit my lifestyle.
‘I just could not believe how easy it was. The app totally transformed my life and the way I look at food. It has a huge database that can tell you the Smartpoints value of so many foods, including meals at most restaurant chains. It helped me find something healthy to eat wherever I was. The barcode device enables you to scan pre-packaged food and get a Smartpoints value, so I could pick a healthier sandwich at a service station.
‘I followed the Green plan which has the most flexibility with Smartpoints; I lost 6lb in the first week.
‘Before, I’d eat a three-course dinner and not be full, eating for the sake of it. But having a daily Smartpoints Budget made me look at the value of food. I realised I’d been eating huge portions that I didn’t need. For instance, I’d have a massive fry-up for breakfast, but now it’s yoghurt, granola and fruit. And I never feel hungry.
‘I carried on losing weight during lockdown – I’d have put on another 2st if I hadn’t been following my programme. By now I could easily be more vulnerable to diseases of all sorts. I did some of the cooking at home – tortilla pizzas went down very well, while my wife and I enjoyed the chicken souvlaki wraps.
‘I took up walking early on; I’d get up at 6am and walk for two miles each day. It cleared my head. At the end of the summer I walked 150 miles in six weeks for charity. I’d never done anything like that before; it was fantastic to push myself.
‘I’m so much happier in myself. My wife is delighted – and relieved
I’ve stopped snoring! This is a complete way of life for me now. I’d recommend anyone who’s unhappy to make 2021 the year you change your life. It will open up a whole new chapter, just as it’s done for me.’
SELEN OMER, 35
Selen is 5ft 4in tall and a primary school teacher. She lives with her husband Ahmet, 39, and their two sons Arel, nine, and Erim, five, in Lower Earley, near Reading, Berkshire. She lost more than 3st following the WW Blue Plan, dropping from 13st to 9st 9lb and from a dress size 18 to a size 10. She says: ‘If you’d told me when I was younger that I would end up loving exercise I’d have thought you were joking. But since joining WW I’m not only doing six sessions a week, but I’ve also taken up running. I love that it makes me feel so strong and positive and helps to clear my head.
‘The turning point for me came one day in early January five years ago when I had to buy a size 18 top because nothing else fitted me after the birth of my second son. That was a line in the sand for me – I’d never bought anything so big before and I resolved there and then to do something about my weight. ‘As a teenager I was always one of the bigger girls at school and used to hate PE. My weight fluctuated around a dress size 14-16 but then I put on a stone during both of my pregnancies – and couldn’t seem to shift it. At my heaviest I weighed 13st. I’d hide under baggy clothes and snacked on crisps and biscuits when I was at home with my baby. I was often snappy and miserable and I lacked confidence. But I knew I couldn’t resign myself to looking prematurely middle-aged.
‘I made my resolution in January 2016 but didn’t join WW (Weight Watchers as it was then) until I stopped breast feeding in March. The weight started to drop off slowly but surely, on average a pound a week. After 11 months I was down to 9st 9lb and a size 10. I was so elated the day I bought my first size 10 pair of jeans – I had never ever owned one before – and I loved shopping for brightly coloured dresses with nipped-in waists to show off my new figure.
‘I found the WW programme easy to follow – and the app was priceless. I was often out and about with my baby in a buggy and the app made it so easy to track my food and work out my Smartpoints when I was away from home. We’re originally from Cyprus and I love cooking Turkish meals – the app helped me to work out the Smartpoints values of my own family recipes which was incredibly useful. I also liked making the soup recipes for lunch. I quickly realised I’d been eating too much bread and too many over-sized portions.
‘I also used the app to access exercise classes, starting off with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and began walking miles a day with my baby. I knew it would help me to get fitter, but I was surprised at how much brighter I started to feel. My new-found confidence enabled me to join new exercise classes and I stayed on track with my healthy lifestyle, following the Blue plan, until last spring’s lockdown.
‘I worked part-time teaching the children of key workers but I also had to home-school my own children and my exercise routine fell by the wayside. I also found myself snacking and eating the cakes and biscuits I was baking to entertain my children.
‘By the summertime I was more than a stone heavier and back up to a size 14, so when the restrictions eased I got back into exercise, doing six sessions a week. I set myself the challenge of running 13 miles in a week in August – something I would never have dreamed I could do before.
‘I was so proud of myself – and it’s inspired me to look for another challenge this spring. I’ve dropped a dress size since July thanks to WW’S Fiton exercise feature on the app but I still weigh 11st. My goal is to get back down to 10st and back into my size 10 jeans, but my focus is more on improving my health and fitness and less on what the scales tell me. I know I’ll get there with my healthy eating plan and my new love of exercise.
‘When I go to bed at night, I feel a great sense of satisfaction because I know I have lived a healthy day and done something for myself to help my health.’