Age: 38 & 38
Height: 167.5 & 182
Start weight: 97.5 kg & 135.6 kg
Current weight: 69 kg & 81.6 kg
Total loss: 28.5 Kg & 54 Kg
Caroline:
“I started my journey with Cambridge Weight Plan in September 2016 having been obese my entire adult life. I was horrified by my reflection and any photographs I saw of myself and decided that enough was enough. My line in the sand was drawn.
“I was always outwardly confident and outgoing but inwardly mortified, and worried about my weight.
“I was particularly concerned about the effect my weight could have on my health in the future. This was largely due to the fact that, in the space of just over a year, my dad died of lung cancer (having struggled with his weight and suffered from heart problems for many years) and my mum had a severe stroke that left her disabled and in need of daily care from my sister and I.
“At that point I had a daughter aged six and a son of just over a year old. The next few years were really hard and although my husband was (and is) fantastically supportive, my life had changed such a lot that I felt really low and was also struggling with migraines and various bowel problems. I knew something needed to change and that I needed to do something for me.
“That change started in August 2016 when I read an article about the Hannigans and their amazing weight loss. Having tried unsuccessfully over the years to lose weight with many diets, I decided Cambridge Weight Plan may just be the answer I was looking for and that losing weight might help improve my health issues. I contacted my Consultant, Helen Allen, and after that initial appointment I felt so motivated and supported, I couldn’t wait to start.
“I found the Plan easy to follow and really enjoyed the products (lemon bars rule). I started initially on Step 2 and worked up from there once I neared my goal. It wasn’t always easy, sticking to plan on meals out and at various parties was tough, but the weight loss (and Helen) kept me motivated.
“Being honest though, while the weight loss and the products were great, it was the changes which took place with my relationship to food that have been life changing and I feel were only possible because of doing CWP.
“Through restricting what I could eat, I was able to change my previous binge eating habits and my reliance on food for comfort and highlight to myself how I have always used it as a source of celebration, commiseration, to relieve boredom and so on and, as a result, take steps to change this.
“I now feel for the first time in my adult life in control of the food I am eating, rather than being controlled by it and feel confident I can maintain my new size through sensible choices, moderation and a more active lifestyle. I am proof that you can still have a life after losing weight with Cambridge Weight Plan and that maintenance is possible.
“The changes to my life since doing CWP have been amazing. I am a size 10 for the first time ever (I was previously a 20), something I never dreamed would be possible. I am no longer the fat sister and friend and am a healthy role model for my children. I have started running, something I tried previously and had to abandon after only a couple of minutes because I couldn’t breathe, which was put down to asthma by the doctor, but now is no longer an issue. I now run 5k three to four times a week.
“My health has altered dramatically. I rarely get a migraine now and the bowel problems that blighted my life for so long I now realise were diet-related and are no longer a problem. I also sleep better and feel more able to cope with life generally.
“My working life has also changed, due to the amazing results I got with CWP. I trained as a Consultant and, in May 2017, due to the success of my business, I handed in my notice and am now a full time CWP Consultant. The joy I get from helping other people lose weight is fantastic and I can honestly say I LOVE my job, something that has never been the case before.
“My family life has also changed. My husband, Ben, spurred on by my success started CWP in January 2017 as my first client and has lost X kilograms.
“My children now have a mum who can keep up with them. We recently went trampolining and I happily bounced with them for the entire session . . . something I could never have done before. Ben and I are now so much more active with them; when we go to the park rather than just sit on the bench watching, we join in on the swings and run around all together playing ruby and catch, it’s just lovely.
“My wider family are also really proud. My brother-in-law now refers to me as ‘Mrs Slim’, which I roll my eyes at, but secretly love. It feels fantastic to have achieved what I have.
“Mums at school have stopped me on the playground to say how great I look and ask if I can help them too and when I posted about my weight loss on Facebook - something that at the time I was really unsure about - the response was so wonderful and supportive. I was quite overwhelmed.
“CWP has quite simply transformed me. I have an inner confidence I never had before. I wore a bikini for the first time on my holiday this year and it felt amazing. I am so thankful I saw that article and took the step to see a Consultant. Aside from my marrying my husband, it was hands down the best decision I have ever made.”
Rate: 7 months *The weight lost and/or timeframes are particular to this slimmer. Everyone’s weight loss journey is unique to them.
Ben:
“I have struggled with my weight my entire adult life. I was always a very active child/teenager and regularly played sports for my school and college. However, I began to have issues with my weight in my early 20s following a serious car accident, which led to me being unable to leave the house for around three months due to the injuries I sustained.
“During that time, I piled weight on as I comfort ate to cope with the depression of being stuck in the house. Following that I was never able to get the control back of my diet and continued to eat and drink what I wanted without giving it a second thought.
“It was not until a number of years later when my wife, Caroline, and I were trying for a baby that I tried to do something about it.
“I tried many different diets including Weight Watchers and several calorie counting diets. Unfortunately I never found one which gave me the results I wanted and my weight continued to spiral.
“Being overweight over the years has had a significant impact on my self-confidence, leaving me with very low self-esteem. Worse than that, in 2016, I had a skin cancer scare, which really brought home to me the importance of being healthy. Thankfully, I was able to have an operation that cleared me of the tumour, but what it also did was make we realise that, at the weight I was, serious health problems were just a matter of time away.
“I discovered Cambridge Weight Plan through my wife, who decided one night on holiday that she was going to do the diet (Caroline has faced her own battles with her weight since she was a teenager).
“Seeing Caroline go through her journey made we want to get in on the act as she lost in excess of 25.4kg in what seemed like no time at all. Due to her success and desire to help people, Caroline started her own business as a Consultant at the beginning of the year. This was the perfect time for me to begin my journey.
“I started at over 136kg on January 3rd 2017, with a BMI well over 41. Due to the BMI issues, I had to spend the first week on Step 3, with a view to dropping to Step 2 when I could.
“I lost 6.3kg in my first week and dropped down to Step 2, which is where I have remained for the remainder of my journey. Now, I can’t believe the difference in the way I look and feel. People are literally walking past me in the street because they don’t recognise me (the headteacher of my children’s school pulled my wife to one side and discretely asked whether there had been a change of circumstances at home because she literally didn't recognise me when I collected my son from school!).
“I have received such lovely comments from people and was even called into a senior manager’s office at work in order for him to tell me how impressed he has been with my weight loss and the commitment I have shown to the Plan. Most pleasingly, I have also inspired others to lose weight using CWP. Caroline has had a number of new clients come on Plan with her after seeing the pictures of our progress on social media, as well as some work colleagues too. To know we are helping to change other people’s lives too is simply fantastic.
“I find it hard to put into words just what an unbelievable difference this has made to my life. For the first time ever when I go out with the kids, it is them who are tired of playing before I am. I no longer have to check if there are weight restrictions before booking activities and little things like not needing a seat belt extender on our recent family holiday feel amazing!
“Getting out as a family is so much easier now too. The thought of heading out for a walk all together with the dog was something I dreaded because I would be hot and short of breath in no time. Now it’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience. We are all healthier as a result of mine and my wife’s weight loss.
“More recently, I have taken up running and gone from not being able to run up the stairs without being breathless to running 13k plus at least three times a week. I could not have achieved these things without Cambridge Weight Plan.
“I am certain I have added a significant number of years on to my life . . . years I am looking forward to sharing with Caroline and our children, and with a self-confidence and healthy outlook that I have never had before.”
Rate: 10 months *The weight lost and/or timeframes are particular to this slimmer. Everyone’s weight loss journey is unique to them.