Nurse Laurabeth Ives has had problems with her weight since her teenage years and has been a serial yo-yo dieter. But in just six months on a Slimpod programme she’s lost 70lbs and gone from a size 18 to a size 10-12. She says: “I know it will stay off because my new eating and exercise habits are here to stay – they’ve become automatic now.”
Everything is so different for her now, she says. “Several times I’ve lost weight but then put it all back on again, and more.
“I once managed to get to a size 12 a few years ago but I was such an emotional eater that the weight just went back on. I had a very sweet tooth and food was such a comforter.
Laurabeth before Slimpod
Laurabeth now thanks to Slimpod
“I would easily eat a full big bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and when out shopping there would be nothing healthy in the basket, all sweet stuff like chocolate and cake.
“I would snack my way through my day at work too. Non-stop sweet stuff to keep me going.”
Laurabeth, 32, a surgical assistant at Tameside hospital in Manchester, says: “Since I started on the Slimpod programme it’s all changed. It was like a switch flicking in my head.
“In the first 12 weeks I lost 44lbs and felt so much better. I found it really easy because I knew what to eat and what not to eat and the Slimpod helped me stay on track and get to my goal.
How my uniform’s shrunk!
Laurabeth’s old size 18 uniform
“I’m feeling great now and far more positive and confident. I no longer have any interest in sugary stuff. I just don’t reach for it for comfort any more. Don’t need it because I don’t seem to be comfort eating any more.
“My shopping basket is always full of healthy food and I take healthy food into work. Snacking at work can be really hard if you’re trying to lose weight. However I’m just not interested any more and I never thought that would ever happen!
The new shapely Laurabeth
“I also go to an exercise class three times a week and I love it. I’d much prefer to be exercising than eating now! And that’s just amazing!”
Laurabeth has a five-year-old son and says that while she was on maternity leave she put on three stone. And that three stone has been on and off lots of times since!
“Now I feel so much healthier. I don’t get out of breath at work and I don’t have to worry about not being able to get into my uniform.
“I’m chuffed to bits about losing five stones on my Slimpod programme,” she says. “I know it will stay off too, because my new eating and exercise habits are here to stay – they’ve become automatic now.
“People bring thank-you presents of biscuits and chocolates into the ward but I’m not tempted at all by them any more. I’d definitely recommend Slimpod to anyone who has a problem with willpower – because with Slimpod, you don’t need any!”
- Laurabeth was taking part in a trial approved by her hospital and has not been paid for her comments, which she is happy to share to help others.
What Laurabeth ate before Slimpod
BREAKFAST: Cereal or toast with jam
LUNCH: Would be starving and just grab a sandwich or some bread
DINNER: Usually pizza or spaghetti Bolognese
SUGAR CONSUMPTION: A big chocolate bar every day and hidden sugars in the food – chocolate was a huge problem
What she eats AFTER Slimpod
BREAKFAST: Scrambled egg/banana and fruit
LUNCH: Tuna, chicken, salmon or cottage cheese salad
DINNER: Homemade pizza but made from a wrap with loads of veg and tuna on it
