Sarah's story

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

I've lost 4st56lbs25.4kg since January 1st 2020.

What prompted your decision to lose weight?

I used the Nutracheck app back in 2016, where I lost just over 3 stone. With a busy lifestyle where I travel a lot for my work, I got lazy and put on another stone from poor eating habits and not enough exercise. The dress sizes were creeping back up and I knew I had to do something about it when I was regularly rebuying size 16 clothes.

How did you hear about Nutracheck?

I didn't get on with MyFitnessPal, so I searched the App Store. I used the trial option and loved it, so I signed up for the monthly plan.

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

I've always been on the bigger size, even as a child, but my weight has always yo-yo'd over the years as an adult. I had sporadic bursts of trying to be good, but always fell back to lazy ways.

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

I'd already lost a stone before lockdown from being sensible and making better choices, but lockdown enforced me to take this really seriously. I have now really enjoyed cooking as I have the time to do it. I love the fact that you can eat what you like with Nutracheck, and simply counting calories. I don't think cutting out any specific food groups does you any good.

What was the most difficult thing?

Having to stop buying biscuits! I have a real sweet tooth.

How do you feel now compared to before?

I feel amazing. This is the slimmest I've ever been and I never thought I would be buying size 8 clothes. Seeing the dress sizes dropping and my fitness levels going up and up is giving me the motivation to maintain this lifestyle. I've really got into my stride with running every other day coupled with home workouts. As a result, I'm sleeping better and I never feel sluggish anymore from carrying around too much weight. Generally, I'm just feeling energized all day, every day.

Any notable milestones to report?

Fitting into size 8 shorts!

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

1. It's important to be realistic with your goals for long term success. I don't deprive myself of anything if I want it. I eat chocolate every day – ok, so now its a Cadbury's little bar, rather than a regular size one, but it gives me the chocolate fix I need. I also have a take-away most weeks and still drink alcohol.
2. Get moving. Exercise makes you feel great and combined with monitoring your food intake will give you results. You just need to find what suits your lifestyle.
3. Don't give up. I didn't lose weight every week, but I didn't get disheartened. Sometimes I noticed my body changing but the scales weren't. How you feel and how your clothes fit is much more important than a scale reading.