‘I have never been happy with my weight,’ says Donna Duguid, 'and looking back it was definitely getting in the way of me enjoying life. I would put off going on girly holidays or weekends away because I was so ashamed of my body.’
Donna had seen it all and done it all when it came to dieting. ‘I had tried most diets but it wasn’t until a friend asked if I would be up for joining her and another friend at Scottish Slimmers that something just clicked. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done!’
Diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, Donna was put on steroids and that didn’t help her weight struggle either.
‘The steroids controlled the Graves’ but it meant my weight ballooned,' says Donna. 'Whatever I tried it didn’t work and I knew I needed some professional help and support.
‘I suppose like a lot of overweight people I was just kidding myself on!’ But joining Scottish Slimmers changed everything. Something just clicked. It took a few weeks to get into the swing of a new way of eating but after meticulously recording every morsel I consumed I found I’d changed my eating habits. I was eating well AND losing weight!
Donna found her motivation in creative and innovative new ways. She started using motivational jars.
‘I bought 2 jars and for all the pounds I wanted to lose – and there were a lot! - and I put pound coins in one. The other one was empty but each week as I lost I would move the equivalent number of my pounds lost into the empty jar.
‘When I got to Target I had a nice little "clothes fund" to treat myself with and every week it was good to see one jar empty and the other one fill up!’
Achieving her Target weight means that Donna now fills her time with exercise, running and walking.
‘I did a few 5K races last year and this year I am working on getting fit for a 10k race,’ says Donna. ‘I have turned fitness into a fun hobby. I go out running most lunchtimes and I am out and about doing something most evenings.
After losing weight Donna gained her health, confidence and happiness back. ‘I feel so much happier and a lot more confident. Life is good,’ she says with a smile.