Norma's weight loss journey

I have been conscious of my weight since the late eighties. For some thirty-odd years, I have tried many diet plans, shakes, pills, and potions. I did have some degree of success and was managing to keep in control. Then in 2002, I retired from work, my husband's health started to deteriorate, and he became housebound and unable to work. Obviously, due to anxiety, that's when the weight began to creep up. I was comfort eating, so I re-joined a local slimming group and became friends and enjoyed the company of the members.

Sadly, in 2007, my husband passed away and my life changed. I have adjusted well to my new life – I acquired a little dog for company, joined a choir and exercise class/gym, but still struggled with my weight.

I would lose half a stone and then yoyo. Clearly, I was not in control, but I still maintained my slimming group membership and continued to enjoy the company of the other members – it became a social thing and got me out of the house.

Then Covid-19 struck! This changed the lives of us all when we went into lockdown. The slimming groups closed down, and we were all confined to our homes, but still, they took our money!

Some of my other weight-conscious friends were not happy, and it was decided we would set up a WhatsApp self-help group to maintain contact, and offer support and encouragement to each other during the lockdown. A couple of us 'old hands' decided to take the reins and research what options/alternatives were available for our little group, now that the big three had abandoned us. At the same time, one of our group volunteered to do weekly home visits.

Armed with a good set of scales, a negative Covid test result stick, face mask, rubber gloves and disinfectant wipes, she visited those who invited her, to weigh and keep a record of their progress and offer advice and keep us on track. Our group members were following several different diet plans, but we all had the same goal – to lose weight.

I was doing some research into the many diet plans on offer, and whether we should offer the group our specific programme but decided "why reinvent the wheel?" when so many have done the work for us.

This was the point when we discovered the NHS and Nutracheck apps.

I decided to try the NHS Plan(s) supported by Nutracheck for a few weeks. I am happy to say over the last 12 months, I have lost almost 2 stone, purely using the Nutracheck app and my trusty kitchen scales.

As I am a very mature lady (now 75+ yrs), progress is slightly slower, but I tell the members that I'm now losing 'Old Fat', it's been with me a very long time and is reluctant to let me go.

Our group is now over 25 members strong, and we celebrated our first birthday back at the end of August. We were, at last, all able to meet up and enjoy an alfresco afternoon tea. My success was evident, and word has spread around our group, and the majority of our members are now using the Nutracheck app with great success.