“I’m the lightest I’ve ever been!”

Claire Pratt from Wigan lost an amazing 7st 6lbs with bodyOptimise to transform her life forever. Stunning Claire used to shy away from social events because of her size - nowadays she’s an activity and cookery queen! Claire shares her enthralling story with us, along with her fantastic tips for weight loss…

“I was an overweight child from an overweight family and gradually became heavier throughout my life. I always ate very healthily for my main meals, but made up too many excuses for 'treats'. Like "Oh well, it's a party", or "thin people eat these too, so it's OK". I could always find an excuse to overeat and then blamed my metabolism for making me overweight.

“I tried various diets but they all contained an element of 'forbidden' food and never worked long term. With the Atkins diet I craved fruit and veg, on the GI plan I craved bread and potatoes, on Weight Watchers I craved food after my points had been used up. As soon as someone tells me I can't have something it just makes me want it all the more!

“I tried to convince myself that I was happy with my size and was destined to be overweight. I threw away my scales and ignored my increasing dress sizes, blaming it on shops not getting their measurements right. One day, out of interest I decided to weigh myself and was utterly horrified. I couldn't believe how much I’d kidded myself. I cried for about 12 hours straight and joined bodyOptimise that very day.

“My job as a trainer takes me away from home a lot and I could never commit to a regular group session, so the online solution was perfect for me.

“The plan is so flexible - no food is off limits, I can eat unlimited Free Foods and never feel hungry. It’s so healthy as there’s always a good balance of fibre, calcium and vitamins. I love that I can eat normal meals, and the Extra Easy plan makes cooking and eating out much less hassle.

“My absolute favourite hobby is cooking. Being a bodyOptimise member has enhanced this - I now get out all my old recipes and cookbooks and make it a challenge to adapt it to a Food Optimising-friendly version. I have dinner parties all the time and never let on to my guests that they’re eating 'diet' food - and they never guess!

“I make my own sushi, I love traditional hot pots and roast dinners, slow-cooked lamb shank and mash, ramen chicken noodle broth, baked Mediterranean vegetables with home made dips, authentic Indian curries with rice and vegetable side dishes, the list really is endless.

“I love the fact that I can access Syns Online at any time. I also love looking at my progress page and seeing my awards and progress pictures. The FIT log has really pushed me into doing exercise. The gradual increase in activity between each award really helped me take it one step at a time. The amount of exercise I do now would have terrified me at the start - the Body Magic awards pushed me gently into being very active.

“I now do 3 x 1 hour workouts a week from various exercise DVDs I have. When I’m working away from home I take the DVDs and my laptop so I can even exercise in a hotel room! I really enjoy it and make sure nothing gets in the way. In addition, my husband and I have taken up badminton and play a session every week. We also walk a lot more and often look up 'medium level' rambles for a Sunday afternoon - coastal, woodland and countryside walks at the weekend are pretty normal now.

“I set myself mini-goals, for example half a stone, a drop in BMI category, the next stone etc. I didn't pressurise myself with a time limit, but awarded myself when I got there. I bought myself a charm bracelet and added a new charm for every 7lbs lost. It’s now quite heavy with 14 charms on it, but has two lovely spaces yet to be filled!

“There are so many things I can do now. I never quite realised how much my weight impeded my life. In the past whenever I was invited on a day trip, holiday, meal out, trip to the theatre, etc my first thought used to be "Can I do it, being this size?" I would worry about being physically unable to complete activities or not being able to fit in chairs or people staring at me. My new body is taking some getting used to as I still get nervous when contemplating a new activity and have to remind myself that I’m 'normal' now. I went in a hot air balloon not long ago - I was able to climb in and out of the basket and not feel embarrassed. When I go to the cinema or theatre I don't have a panic about the size of the seats. I’m able to walk without getting out of breath or sweaty. My thighs don't rub together when I walk. I can go in 'normal' clothes shops and buy clothes that fit.

“For the first time ever I feel in control. I’ve been Food Optimising for over two years now and it’s become a way of life for both me and my husband. He’s always loved me regardless of my weight, but knows I’m much more happy and confident now. Despite not being overweight he’s lost about half a stone, just from eating the same evening meal as me.

“The best thing that’s happened as a result of losing over 7 stones is realising that there truly was a 'normal' person hidden inside me - I honestly never believed that as I’ve been overweight my entire life and had convinced myself that I could never be 'normal'- it was a shocking moment when it hit me. I don't see Food Optimising as ‘sticking to a diet’ – it’s just the way I eat now, I’m so happy with it and the results are amazing!

Claire’s top tips for weight loss

• Don’t make excuses. There is always a reason to go off plan. A birthday, a stressful day, a family occasion, a holiday, the weekend, a row with someone, even (bizarrely) hitting a weight loss goal. I can make an excuse for overeating every single day, but this is what got me morbidly obese! No ‘treat’ is worth the misery of being overweight.

• Don’t assume that exercise isn’t for you. Using the Body Magic steps really helped me gradually increase my activity and motivated me to keep going. I discovered that by getting a bit creative I could find activities that suited me and were… fun! I now play badminton, follow aerobic and dance DVDs and really look forward to long hikes in the country on the weekend, with a lovely Syn-free picnic at the end.

• Reward your success. I LOVE my ‘progress page’ on bodyOptimise - I sometimes log on just to have a look at all of my awards, my progress photos and my progress chart. I also love getting new charms for my bracelet!

• Think positive. Using negative images to try and motivate yourself won’t work. Describing yourself as ‘fat and ugly’ is just a way of mentally bullying yourself (and you wouldn’t do this to someone you loved). Concentrate on the future, and the positives that will result in your weight loss. Focus on how fabulous you’ll look and feel and take positive steps to making it work.

• Plan ahead. Working out your weekly meal planner in advance makes shopping, cooking and staying on plan so much easier. Also, try and anticipate potential ‘danger’ areas and work out a plan of action. Eg, going to the cinema makes me hungry for popcorn, so I sneak in a low Syn alternative so I won’t feel deprived but also won’t go off plan. For the rare occasion when I know my daily Syn allowance just won’t be enough, I can always use flexible Syns.

Claire lost a fabulous 7st 6lbs with bodyOptimise!

• menu before
  • Breakfast:
    Toast (real butter) or cereal (big bowl)
  • Mid morning:
    Teacake or fruit
  • Lunch:
    Sandwich (baguette with cheese, or triple decker BLT) and crisps
  • Mid afternoon:
    Chocolate, biscuits or a small cake
  • Dinner:
    A HUGE home-cooked meal made using oil/butter/cheese/cream
  • Evening:
    Possibly a bar of chocolate, some crisps, some fruit and yogurt or a few glasses of wine

• menu after
  • Breakfast:
    Toast (with poached eggs or beans or honey), cereal and fruit or Ryvita and Laughing Cow cheese
  • Mid morning:
    Fruit
  • Lunch:
    Jacket potato or chicken salad or noodles and stir fried meat and veg or leftovers from night before
  • Dinner:
    beautiful home-cooked meal, but without oil and only using Free Foods
  • Evening:
    I’ve saved my Syns for a chocolate bar or glass of wine