Tracey's story

How much weight have you lost and how long did it take?

I have lost 7st98lbs44.5kg over a period of 17 months. I'm also pleased to report that I have been able to maintain the 7st98lbs44.5kg loss using the app over the past six weeks or so! Once Christmas is out of the way I am going to try and lose another 7 to 10 lbs just to give myself a bigger 'buffer' to maintain. I think I'll be using the app for pretty much the rest of my life to be honest.

What prompted your decision to lose weight?

Following the death of my husband in August 2019 I found myself in a position where I was 'grief eating' all the time (I was already very overweight). I was in a lot of emotional pain following his death and this was compounded by physical pain of arthritis in my neck, hips and knees and problems with my feet. I had no energy and did not want to face the future feeling so physically unwell so I decided to try and sort myself out. I self-referred to a local wellbeing service but they were unable to assist me with weight management as my BMI was over 40. Due to Covid the wait to access a specialist weight management service was really long, and that together with public health information that Covid was more serious in overweight individuals gave me the final push to sort myself out. I started my weight loss journey in May 2020 (I did eventually join the weight management service in November 2020 but in fairness I was doing all the things they recommended already).

How did you hear about Nutracheck?

A friend recommended Nutracheck to me (it had been recommended to her from her personal trainer).

Has your weight stayed fairly consistent over the years, or have you always had to manage it?

I have always had to manage my weight (generally unsuccessfully), it has increased consistently over the years, at my largest I was over 17 stone; I was 16 stone 4lbs in May 2020.

Have you experienced any health improvements?

Yes lots of benefits:

• Massive reduction in pain in hips and knees
• No longer have pain in both feet from plantar fasciitis
• Can get up stairs without getting out of breath
• I can walk up hills without gasping for breath
• I have lots more energy for everything
• After losing a few stone I got the confidence to attend a gym and classes. I love the gym now; something I never imagined I would ever say!
• Reduction in my thyroxin medication
• My mental health – there is still a lot of sadness and grief but I feel so much more positive about my future now.

How easy was it to fit the changes you made into your lifestyle?

It was relatively easy, but I was in a privileged position of being able to take a significant amount of time off work for this 'self care'. I think living on my own has made it much easier to make positive changes to lifestyle and in particular diet. The app makes it so easy to do the calorie counting it is just so automatic with me now. I use the app to plan my next few days' meals and then add in things throughout the day. I have adapted to cooking meals from scratch and love how the app allows me to 'balance' my nutrients from meal to meal and make sure I get enough fibre.

What was the most difficult thing?

The first 2-3 months were hard and I had to work hard and use my mental health skills to help me overcome a lot of my thinking patterns. For example whenever it felt like too much and I thought it was going to take forever I would just say to myself "a pound a week is 52 pounds in a year which is over 3 stone, and after 2 years that's 6 stone and if you don't just do it you will always feel like it's going to be too much". The absolute hardest thing at the beginning, and to be fair even now, is the cravings. I talk myself out of them most of the time and occasionally I don't. However, I never ever feel guilty; I am accountable for all my decisions and it feels like freedom!

How do you feel now compared to before?

Like a completely different person.

Any notable milestones to report?

Realising after losing 3 stone that my hips had stopped hurting and I was able to dance again! Getting to a healthy BMI also felt good!

What 3 tips would you give to anyone who has weight to lose?

1. Set realistic goals! It is so important to make these achievable it gives you a big boost when you hit those goals!
2. Be clear about your motivation to lose weight – keep it in your mind whenever you are struggling with cravings or negative thoughts.
3. Be accountable! Don't ever feel guilty about what you eat – enjoy what you enjoy but just make sure you count every calorie, you are in charge, the occasional treat is not the end of the world.