Lizzy: Learning to cook healthy food kept me on track

Start weight: 12st 9lb | Weight loss: 2st 4lb
Current weight: 10st 5lb 
Height: 5' 6" | Age:  25
Time taken so far: 1 year, 5 months
Studio: Banstead, Surrey
WW Coach: Amy Williams

'Cooking' as a student

Uni students aren’t exactly known for their culinary skills, and microwaving a pouch of Batchelors Pasta ’n’ Sauce every night certainly didn’t require any! I also regularly skipped breakfast, nibbled chocolate during lectures and drank Coke every day. But I didn’t register that my food choices were making me gain weight until just after Christmas 2013, when I saw a photo my mum had taken of me with my older sister Jo.

In denial

Jo is a super-fit heptathlete, and the difference between us was stark. It made me realise I’d been in denial – even ignoring the button popping off my trousers. I knew I’d struggle to make healthy choices if I stayed in halls of residence. As I was about to start a work placement at a hospital near to Mum, moving home for a while seemed like a good solution.

Taking the first step

I felt nervous walking into my first WW Workshop, and was horrified when the scales read 12st 9lb, but Mum soon became my healthy-eating guru, teaching me how to cook healthier food and WW recipes, as well as making me packed lunches of sandwich thins, salads and yogurt.

WW and my life

At my graduation six months later, I felt reasonably happy with how I looked, but was still a stone away from my goal weight. So, after moving to Banstead in March 2016 for my first job, I found a local Workshop that fit in with my hospital shifts. The WW Coach, Amy, was my age and we clicked immediately. I kept cooking healthier meals and when I got to goal six months later, Amy and I celebrated with a 12 hour shopping trip to Lakeside!

Now, I do four gym classes a week, changing into my gym gear straight after a shift so I don’t have time to change my mind! I’ve also joined a local running club – something I would never have had the confidence to do before WW.