I lost more than 4 st and now I look and feel so much younger
AMANDA DAVIDSON, 51, lost 4 st 5 lb when she joined WW after a heart attack. she’d gained weight as a result of the medication she was prescribed. Amanda, who is divorced with a grown-up daughter Alex, 23, works as an exports coordinator and lives in newport, shropshire. she went from 16 st 9lb to 12 st 4 lb and from a dress size 24 to a size 16. she is 5ft 7in tall. Amanda says:
Losing weight — and keeping it off — became my mission during the first lockdown in 2020. i knew i looked like a frump. But i also knew i needed to change my eating habits for good. i’ve struggled with my weight ever since i was prescribed a range of medications, including beta blockers, after a diagnosis of heart failure due to blocked arteries.
i had a stent fitted to keep my arteries open, as well as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (iCD) to regulate my heartbeat automatically.
i knew being lighter would help my heart health and make moving around easier — and finally my head was in the right place actually to do it. i also knew that WW would have the tools to help.
Another motivation for losing weight was attending Alex’s graduation ceremony, which has just taken place and i felt slimmer and more stylish.
i took advantage of being at home during lockdown to concentrate on myself, my health and eating healthy food.
i don’t have a sweet tooth but soon realised that i ate larger portions than i needed and had a weakness for cheese, creamy sauces and salami.
i got into cooking my own food and making clever swaps, such as choosing a tomato sauce instead of a cream sauce with my pasta. i liked the fact that no food was off limits so long as i tracked everything.
The new PersonalPoints programme gives me flexibility to choose foods that i like.
i have chosen fish, fruit and vegetables as my ZeroPoint foods, and track my food very carefully. i love to make soups for lunch and in the evening i’ll have fish or pasta — something nice and simple.
i lost on average a pound a week, but it soon added up. now i walk two or three miles a day without thinking about it — and this helps me add Points to my Budget.
i feel so much brighter and more positive these days. i’ve had to buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes — they are much more fashionable and stylish than the old ones.
Electrocardiograms — standard tests that measure the electrical activity of the heart — have shown improvements in my heart function, which now appears to be stable, although i am waiting for the results of my latest ECg.
i still take medication, but i have been able to reduce the dosage.
i am a much healthier version of my old self now and i look — and feel — so much younger too.