The AMAZING 10 stone weight loss journey by my friend Lauren Mae

Hi all my lovely readers- I am sorry I've been away.. I've had an incredibly hectic time.

I am back now and what better way to kick off with an AMAZINGLY inspirational weight loss story from my friend Lauren.. Lauren looks incredible now and it's so hard to believe she used to be double the woman she is now.

My chat with Lauren Mae is here- you will be TRULY amazed at her weight loss success..

Lauren is truly beautiful and also AMAZING at doing make up- I think we need Lauren to become involved in beauty blogging/ you tubing too!

Welcome to Lauren Mae's incredible weight loss story.

Here are some WOW effect pictures

Lauren as I know her now- stunning!

Lauren has a Youtube channel where you can follow her journey : http://www.youtube.com/user/blueeyedbetty

1: Lauren, if you don’t mind, what was your weight before you started your diet? And what is your goal / what would you like to get to? Size wise or weight wise?

At the beginning of my weightloss journey I weighed 22 stone 7lbs and I was a size 28!! I am 5ft7 so I was classified as morbidly obese. I didn't start off with a goal size or weight because it would have been way too daunting, I didn't ever set goals for myself because they always made me go off track.

2: What made you think “I want /need to lose this weight?”

Leading up to my largest weight I was always happy but I really decided I wanted to lose weight to feel better about myself and feel more attractive and obviously for the health benefits too! I did have a couple of embarrassing "fat person" moments including not being able to fit into the Easy Jet plane seat and then breaking the steps coming out of the swimming pool on holiday!! I knew things had to change!

3: And how much have you lost so far?

I have been losing weight for 3 years and so far I have lost 9 stone 8 lbs! (I did get down to 10stone lost but I don't know whether to say that I put on a couple of pounds but I am back on track!??)

4: Did anyone recommend a particular diet to you or how did you decide what food to eat?

Would you mind sharing what foods you eat in a typical day, snacks and everything, so we can get an idea..? How many calories do you aim for per day, if you count calories?

When I first started decided to lose weight my Mum bought Paul McKennas "I can make you thin" book. I was VERY sceptical about this as it sounds too good to be true, but it is fantastic! He teaches you great tips about eating what you want, eating slowly and stopping when you feel satisfied. This worked well for the first 4 stone of my weight loss but then I became tired and hit a wall. It was hard mentally to overcome the fact that I had come so far but still had SO FAR to go! I was in a job that I hated and became quite depressed so I went to see my doctor. She suggested that for quick and healthy weight loss that I give up major carbohydrates!! Baring in mind at the time they were my total diet so this seemed like an impossible task. Here is my diet:

Things I CAN'T eat:

Bread

Potatoes

Rice

Pasta

Noodles

Fizzy drinks

Processed food including cheese and meat

Low fat foods or products (too many artificial chemicals and rubbish!)

Nothing naughty, no cake, chocolate, crisps, sweets

Things I CAN eat:

Meat

Fish

Cheese

Eggs

Vegetables

Fruit

Milk

Water

I know that everything has carbohydrates in it but I cut out the main ones. I have salads everyday and I love them. I always have full fat dressing because I don't believe in making yourself hate the food you are eating, because if you hate the food then you are much more likely to fail.

This may seem too strict or limited but everybody is different and in order for me to get results I needed to do this.

5: And on this journey – you decided to join a gym too, am I right? How did that come about?

Yes, I joined a gym when I first started losing weight January 2008. No matter what anyone says about losing weight the one sure thing is, EXERCISE IS THE KEY! I was incredibly unfit when I joined and I was so embarrassed because of my size but I realised after a couple of visits that everyone is so paranoid about themselves nobody is looking at you.

6: And how are you finding the gym? Has it helped? Do you like going?

The gym has really changed me because now my fitness and strength is through the roof and it would never had improved if I hadn't been working out through my weightloss. I would love to build up enough fitness to do a marathon!

7: In terms of yourself and your confidence – I  bet you must have changed so much, from who you were to how you are now? Are you more outgoing for example?

Suroprisingly enugh it is a VERY scary thing losing this much weight because not only are you changing in your own mind, you are changing in other peoples eyes and you are learning to be a totally different person. When I was at my largest I didn't really go out, I would stay in and just eat, but now I can't get out enough! By the end of Monday I have already planned my whole weekend coming up!

8: What is the best thing about having lost all of this weight?

CLOTHES, I started shopping in plus size shops when I was about 16 so I have never really had the experience of being able to go into any shop and just buy clothes. It is fantastic!!

9: Do you ever cheat? Or have off days?

After I gave up carbs in March 2010 I didn't cheat for about a year and a half! Recently I have been having carbs occasionally as I am trying to slowly bring them back into my diet. I am being very careful though as it is a scary prospect.

10: Where do you find all this will power and motivation? Personally I have to be in a *zone* and if I am not, I just can’t do more than one day and I’ll cheat!

You are exactly right. I have to find my "zone" when I am in it, I am unstoppable. I am tempted by things but never give in. I am very stubborn :-D

11: What about alcohol – do you drink? How do you count that into the diet? As we all know alcohol can be a sneaky one for calories..?

I love wine! Alcohol is something that I have never limited, I drink maybe once or twice a week. I never count the calories as it would scare me! 

12: You clearly look absolutely amazing now.. Are there any downsides to such a huge weight loss?

Thank you, the only downside is that I have some loose skin on my stomach that I am working on and my boobs have shrunk but in general I love my new figure!

13: Have you had support from anyone, and did you find that it helped?

My parents have been an amazing help, I go to the gym with my Mum at times and they help with with food as it is incredibly hard to keep up the motivation all the time.

14:  Lastly, have you thought about the future, and how you will keep the weight off? That is sometimes a struggle for some people (for me it is...)

It is another scary prospect but I would love to get down to my goal weight and take a course to because a fitness instructor or personal trainer. I would love to help others to reach their goals too.

I just want to say a huge well done, you look incredible and I wish you all the best for the last bit of your journey.

Thank you so much x

I am sure people reading this will be as amazed  as I am at Lauren’s fantastic achievement, and there might be comments below, if anyone has any comments  & questions then I shall pass them to Lauren to answer.

To follow Lauren Mae’s  story – you can go here www.youtube.com/blueeyedbetty to subscribe to her channel J

Lauren & her partner in Lauren's old jeans!