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WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS STORIES Canadian Coast to Coast Calorie Counters has helped many people to a new healthier life. Here are some of those many people who would like to share their success stories. SUCCESS WITH CANADIAN CALORIE COUNTERS Click on the success story that you would like to read. Terri -
Lost 28 lbs How many pounds have you lost? I have lost 28 lbs in order to reach my goal. Describe how Calorie Counters work? Calorie Counters is about losing weight sensibly. I found out it really was just like they said it was. I didn’t just jump into this, I did have to follow a few guidelines (a) See your family doctor, together you will work out how much weight you should lose, and how many calories you should have each day (b) Keep a diary of all the foods you have eaten each day, using the Canada Food Guide. Bring the diary sheets with you each week, when you attend the group meetings (c) You will be given helpful information through group therapy, as well as the support of each member when you attend the weekly meetings (d) Each week the weight recorder will check your weight and keep a record of it in their books. What has been the most difficult food or habit to give up? Speaking for myself I haven’t given up all the foods I enjoy, except maybe junk food. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. What I have done is cut down my portion size – making sure that I only eat small portions of foods that are high in carbs (breads and pastas) only occasionally. I do try not to eat after 7 p.m. It has been hard to break bad habits, such as eating when I am bored, even if I am not hungry. What advice would you give to someone wanting to lose weight? I
guess the best advice I could give to someone wanting to lose weight
would be to join a Calorie Counters. I tried so many times to lose
weight on my own. For many reasons, I could never stick to it. I
just can’t do it myself. I need to have the support of other people
going through the same thing. Some diets suggest going without fruit
or vegetables, foods that should be healthy for you. That really
isn’t something I wanted to do. Losing the weight slowly, helped me
to reach my goal. I know if I were to stop coming each week, I could
put the weight back on. I wanted to maintain my goal weight, so I
plan on coming each week. This group really helps me to stay on top
of things. I know maintaining my goal weight is also something I
needed help with. Reaching my goal weight feels great. I do feel
better. If losing weight is something you think you would like to
do, then I hope my story can help you in some way. LORI COUNTING CALORIES TAKES
“I was drastically overweight for the last 20 years” she said “I used to be a size 48 and I hated it.” She knew it was time to do something and that she needed help to do it. So, 15 months ago, she joined Canadian Calorie Counters and lost 150 pounds to win the 2005 National Best Achiever Award. “All my life I struggled with my weight and had low self-esteem. I always felt that I wasn’t worthy. As a teenager Lori was anorexic." She believed she had to look like a super model to be happy or had boys interested in her. Later, in her early 20’s, Lori fell into a deep depression and gained 200 pounds. She decided she didn’t want to impress anyone and started eating uncontrollably. “I was on medication and it used to make me so hungry, I would eat everything,” said Lori. “It was an awful time in my life” Then in 2004, with her 40th birthday approaching and her health suffering from the excess weight, Lori decided it was time to get off her loveseat and regain control of her eating habits. Through a recommendation from a friend, Lori joined Calorie Counters and lost 7 lbs. the first week. Calorie Counters is a non-profit weight loss group that believes weight gain is a chronic, progressive disorder and by following Canada’s Food Guide and completing calorie sheets, you can lose weight. Lori said the Calorie Counters group support played a huge role in her success. “Everyone wants to know what my secret is and I’ll tell you – I started loving and accepting myself. Once I did that, the weight just started falling off,” said Lori, who sings with the Beautiful Minds Choir. “It might sound crazy, but it’s the truth. The group was so accepting and welcoming. They provide a safe, loving atmosphere and they always have kind words, even when I gained weight. It’s all about acceptance. We all accept one another and I learned to love myself. I don’t have to be perfect.” Lori became more aware of the food she was eating and started eating nutritious foods instead of chips and ice cream. Lori said that moderation is the key. She eats whatever she wants, but only in moderation. She also started walking more and found she enjoyed it. She also plans to join a dragon boat team. Even though Lori and a friend could now easily fit side by side on her loveseat, she doesn’t spend a lot of time sitting around. She looks forward to every day and can’t thank her friends at Calorie Counters enough for their support. “I never want to win the Best Achiever Award again. I never want to
be that BIG again,” said Lori. “I’m focusing on keeping my mind and
body stable.” Bob My “Tip of the Week” is a tip of my hat to Canadian Calorie Counters. In February, 2005, my sister Penny asked me if I would like to join Calorie Counters because of my weight problem. I said I would give it a try, so I joined. My first weigh-in I was 345 pounds, so I started a new lifetime change by counting calories, filling out a calorie sheet every week and lots of walking & exercise plus group talks each week – it started to work. Next thing I knew I had lost 10 pounds, 15 pounds, 25 pounds, 50 pounds. I dropped from a 58 to a 50 inch waist in the size of my pants and blue jeans. I am so happy about that because now I don’t have to go to the ‘big & tall’ stores and pay double the price for my clothes. I was up and down like a yoyo all summer long. In
November, I attended Rally and found out I had the biggest weight
loss and got to be “KING” for that day with a loss of over 50 lbs. I have been with Calorie Counters for one year & 2 months and in that time I have lost 60 lbs. I have won many awards, prizes, happy faces and stars for my weight loss and have been a big part of winning many top awards for our group at Convention. I proudly displayed my awards, prizes and ribbons with my next goal – a STAR. I would like to tip my hat to the members, no, to my new friends, who give me love and support each week as I work towards my goal of becoming a STAR. A big hug to my sister Penny, for getting me started
on a new chapter in my life of getting help and looking good by
losing weight. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and if you
think you can’t do it, take a good look at me. YOU CAN ELLEN
In the summer of 2004 I had watched one of our
members in my branch be so motivated. She watched what she ate -
exercised. Every week she would come in for weigh ins and lose. She
was my biggest inspiration and others in our branch. As I said before, 2004 did change my thinking. I am
on a powerful drug for RA. I must have a blood test every month; it
used to be every week. These blood tests were to keep an eye on my
liver. There are lots of drug out there that damage a liver, so I
knew how important it was. My doctor wanted me to have a liver
biopsy. I had to go to Toronto for this, because I am in a case
study for RA. I tell you I was scared. If this comes out bad then
what. You know it’s sad that a person lets themselves get overweight
and then they start having health problems and it takes a shock to
smarten them up. I talked to myself. I have a great husband, two
beautiful daughters and 5 extraordinary grandchildren. They are my
life but I am being selfish. Food seems to be more important then
them. That is stupid. I want to see my grandchildren grow up,
graduate from University etc. If I leave my body the way it was, I
know I wouldn’t see all that. I know there is no guarantee’s in life
but I can tell you I am not sorry I got my fat butt off the couch
and did something about my problem. My blood pressure went down. I have a lot more
energy. My RA will never go away, and I have to accept that, but I
can try and avoid other health issues by maintaining a reasonable
weight. I have a great branch for support, a great family who
encourages me all the time. All I can say to anyone of you. Barb My story goes back almost to the day I was born. I was a cute chubby baby, grew to be a plump little girl, a chunky teenager and finally a fat mama. I can't remember the time that a diet wasn't a part of my life. I was always either going on one, usually on a Monday or off one, usually on a Friday. I finally reached a point where I got so tired of going to my closet and looking for something to cover up how I looked instead of looking for something to show how nice I looked. I decided to do something about it and knew that I needed help, so I joined Calorie Counters. There were so many positive things about the Branch that helped me reach my goal of 135 lbs. from 158 lbs. in a fairly short time. The calorie sheets were my biggest help, along with the weekly weigh-ins. The little incentives including the contests, the great programs and weekly thoughts put forth by our President, proved a big help. The friendly informal atmosphere put forth by all the girls and sharing a common goal made the weekly meetings pleasant. I know to make my story a permanent success story, I must continue to be an active member of the Branch, because with help, my compulsive eating would shortly put me right back where I started from. I am determined never to be fat again because I am not about to give up the feeling of pride I have in myself, when I put on my size 12 clothes after hiding in a size 16 for so long. I hope that I will never have to diet again. I prefer to think that
what I am doing now is controlling my eating habits, not dieting
because I am certainly not going hungry. I have cut out most greasy
and sweet foods except for the odd treat although I do manage to
save some calories for my favourite food - ice cream. I am no longer
a taster or a plate cleaner, because I figure that the waste is
better in the garbage than on my hips. Like most of us, the pounds have slowly crept on over the years - especially since having my children. In the past, I was able to lose them on my own, but only to regain them. This time was different. Feeling lonely and homesick at times (we moved from BC), I turned to food for comfort and did not have the MOTIVATION or WILL to lose weight AGAIN. My weight was more than when I was expecting the twins. The thought made me feel just awful. This time I decided to try and join a weight loss group. I had heard that some were expensive, so I checked around and found Calorie Counters would best suit my needs. Not only for cost, but because I could still eat everything I wanted, provided I counted calories. This in turn, taught me self-control, not only in eating, but in other areas of my life as well. I have also learned that I feel much better when I eat a balanced diet. My first week I lost 6 lbs. The group was so encouraging and happy for me. I felt like a million! Each week as I kept losing one or two pounds, I became more and more enthusiastic. Here are a few pointers that worked for me:
Now that I have attained my goal which is realistic for me, I feel I
can maintain without feeling deprived and even be down a few pounds
for the "bathing suit" weather. I became a Canadian Calorie Counter member on January 8, 2003 and so
far have lost more than 50 pounds and counting. I would like to thank all the wonderful ladies who belong to the Georgian Trimmers. Without their support and encouragement, I couldn't have done this. So for all of you out there who think losing weight is a losing
battle, don't give up. Shoot for the stars. They are closer than you
think. Three years ago, I weighed 187 pounds. By May of last year, I became a STAR when my weight was down to 147 pounds. Since then, I have kept it there. NEVER, NEVER will I be fat again. Never will I be ashamed to meet new people, go out socially or even
to go for groceries. I made a promise to myself and that promise I
plan to keep the rest of my life. With the wonderful help of
Canadian Calorie Counters by my side, I'll always be the person that
I want to be.
Website by |
Loveseats are usually meant for two people, but when Lori weighed
close to 300 pounds, there wasn’t room for another person.
Wake
up and smell the coffee. Yes I am talking about food. That’s what I
had to do. No one told me this. You see I have lost tons of weight
in the past and food always won. I can tell you it will not win this
time.