Busy mum, 31, who dropped 5st after ‘horrifying party photo’ shares her weight loss secrets
A MUM shed over 5st after a snap of herself at a New Year’s Eve party left her horrified.
Promising herself she wouldn’t enter another year unhappy with her body, Lisa Sudlow-Lane, 31, is now unrecognisable.
After piling on the pounds over the years, Lisa tipped the scales at 16st 7.5lbs and was fed up at cringing every time a camera was pointed at her.
So in January 2023 she set herself a New Year’s resolution to lose weight once and for all.
She ditched her weekly takeaways, signed up to Slimming World and has managed to slim down from size 20 to a size 12.
Lisa, from Rotherham, England, said: “Last New Year’s Eve I saw a photograph of myself and it really upset me.
“I never liked pictures of myself, but this one made me realise that I was fed up of feeling this way.
“I hated the fact that I never wanted to be in pictures with my daughter.
“We don’t have many photos when she was really little, as I am either hiding behind her or I have cropped myself out of the photos.”
Enough was enough for Lisa, a French and Spanish teacher, and she decided to kick off her New Year by beginning her weight loss journey.
At her first weigh-in in January 2022, she weighed 16st 7.5lbs.
Before overhauling her previous lifestyle, the busy mum said she would tuck into takeaways each with all the trimmings such as sides, calorific sauces and lots of cheese.
She’d also regularly snack on sausage rolls and pork pies and didn’t pay attention to the size of her portions.
However, since losing over five stone in the past year, Lisa now weighs 11st 4.5lbs and can slip into size 12 clothes as opposed to her previous size 20s.
She said: “I love the fact that I have gained in confidence. It’s helped me a lot with my family life and my job.
“At school, I feel a lot more confident being in front of students all day. I also love the fact that I don’t have to dread seeing a photo of myself.
Lisa's diet before and after weight loss
LISA made a number of tweaks to her diet to achieve her trim figure and newly found confidence.
Before her weight loss, her diet used to consist of:
- Takeaways with all the trimmings, eg. sides, sauces and cheese
- Snacking on sausage rolls and pork pies
- No portion control
Lisa’s diet after weight loss includes:
- Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with fruit and granola
- Lunch: homemade chilli con carne with couscous
- Dinner: homemade soup and chips
- Snacks: fruit and a coffee with milk
“Before my weight loss, I hated my photo being taken but now I don’t mind and I’m even the one asking for photos.
“My weight loss journey has changed my life. My one regret is not doing it sooner.”
‘BETTER THAN EVER’
Lisa is now very much at home in her new routine.
“I love going to group every Saturday morning and I love the food I make. It’s family friendly too.
“We all eat the same thing in my household.
“I was dreading going the first time but my consultant, Joanne, is amazing.”
She’s also given some new types of exercise a go.
“I am more active now and can do more kick-boxing than ever before.
“My resting heart rate used to be around 65-70 bpm but it has now come down to 58 bpm, so it’s a massive improvement for my physical health as well as my mental health.”
One major change the mum has made is to her diet and the meals she makes.
How to lose weight safely
Losing weight should be a long-term commitment to healthier living, rather than any drastic measures.
The NHS tips – which can be adopted slowly – include:
- Get active for 150 minutes a week – you can break this up into shorter sessions
- Aim to get your 5 A Day – 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables count as 1 portion
- Aim to lose 1 to 2lbs, or 0.5 to 1kg, a week
- Read food labels – products with more green colour coding than amber and red are often a healthier option
- Swap sugary drinks for water – if you do not like the taste, add slices of lemon or lime for flavour
- Cut down on food that’s high in sugar and fat – start by swapping sugary cereal for wholegrain alternatives
- Share your weight loss plan with someone you trust – they can help motivate you when you have a bad day
Read about:
- The five fat loss foundations
- The calorie formula for weight loss
- The perfect portion sizes for meals to lose weight
- Sun Health’s 8-week weight loss kick start plan
“Now, I think a lot more about what I eat and try to food optimise every day, including some treats every so often.
“Food optimising is not restrictive at all and I can feel full and satisfied so it’s easy to maintain.
“I do a lot more batch cooking now too.
“A typical day of eating for me now would be fat free Greek yoghurt with fruit and granola for breakfast, for lunch one of my favourites is homemade chilli con carne with couscous.
“I snack on fruits and a coffee with milk throughout the day.
“For tea I have homemade soup and sometimes a side of homemade chips if I’m really hungry.
“At the weekend, I do fakeaways and make healthier versions of burgers or pizzas and save the takeaways for big occasions.
“I feel better than ever.”