Small Changes to Lasting Health – A Personal Transformative Success Story from a participant in our Healthy Lifestyles Programme who wishes to remain anonymous.
Around eight months ago, my surgeon asked me to lose weight. At that point, my weight had spiralled to the stage where I was struggling to find clothes that fitted properly and even relatively short walks were becoming challenging. Small inclines would leave me breathless and I regularly had to stop to catch my breath. I was told that losing weight would be important for my health, but I wasn’t particularly confident that I could achieve the BMI I needed. In fact, I had reached the point where I was seriously considering paying for weight-loss injections myself because I felt I needed something drastic to make a difference. That was when I started attending the Livewell “Walk and Talk” sessions.
Starting with small, achievable changes
One of the things that immediately stood out to me about Livewell was that the team didn’t make my goals feel overwhelming. They helped me break them down into small, achievable steps. Rather than feeling that I had to completely change my lifestyle overnight, I learned that I could still enjoy the things I liked, including treats and meals out, but make sensible changes. Something as simple as having a smaller portion or making a different choice when eating out could make a difference. The team also helped me understand things I had previously paid very little attention to, such as portion sizes and food labels. This knowledge has helped me make better decisions when shopping and when cooking for my family. The approach to exercise was exactly the same. Because my job is desk-based, one of my first goals was to walk every lunchtime. The Livewell team helped me recognise that this was perhaps too ambitious to start with and encouraged me to aim for three walks a week instead. That made the goal much more realistic and allowed for those days when work commitments, such as lunchtime meetings, made walking impossible.
A significant change in my health
Eight months on, I have lost four stone. The biggest difference isn’t simply the amount of weight I’ve lost, but how much better I feel and how much more active I have become. I actually enjoy exercising now. I’m walking further and more often, cycling and have even started going to the gym — something I would have found very difficult to imagine when I first started. I’ve progressed from struggling to keep up on a relatively short walk to being able to walk distances of 10 miles or more. The weight has come off more slowly than during some of my previous attempts to lose weight, but I now see that as a positive. The changes I’ve made feel much more like a lifestyle change rather than a short-term diet, which makes me feel that they are much more sustainable.
Even with the gym, Livewell helped me avoid setting myself an unrealistic target. Rather than thinking I needed to go five, six or seven times a week, we settled on three sessions. That gives me a challenge without making it something that isn’t sustainable alongside my work and personal life.
Getting back on track
There was also a period during this journey when things became particularly difficult. I experienced a family crisis while I was on holiday, and understandably my health and weight-loss goals weren’t at the forefront of my mind. It would have been very easy at that point to feel that I had lost all the progress I had made and simply give up. The support from the Livewell team helped me put things into perspective and get myself back on track. Rather than making me feel that I had failed, they helped me recognise that life doesn’t always go according to plan and that having a setback doesn’t mean the whole journey has been wasted.
CORE MINDSET LESSON “I realised that this isn’t about being perfect all the time; it’s about making better choices when you can and getting back on track when things don’t go so well.”
The Walk and Talk sessions
My favourite part of the programme has always been the walking. I remember my first walk eight months ago. I was struggling to keep up with the other attendees and was conscious that I was stopping frequently because I was breathless. One of the Livewell team members stayed back with me, which made a huge difference. Rather than feeling embarrassed or like I didn’t belong, I felt welcomed and supported. Fast-forward eight months and the difference is huge. I can now complete the walks comfortably, have a conversation while walking and, most importantly, I’m not constantly struggling for breath. I also really enjoy the social side of the group. Listening to other attendees talk about their own experiences and how they are overcoming their challenges has been really valuable. Everyone is on their own journey, but there is a real sense that we’re all supporting and learning from each other.
Looking forward
Livewell has helped me change the way I approach goals. I no longer feel that I need to achieve everything immediately. I can set a realistic goal, work towards it and then increase the challenge when I’m ready. After listening to some of the other attendees and seeing what they have achieved, I’ve now set myself another challenge — Couch to 5K. That would have seemed completely unrealistic to me when I started eight months ago.
What has made the biggest difference? I think one of the things Livewell has done exceptionally well is helping me find the right size of goal for where I am now.
In particular, Sam has been brilliant at this. She encourages you to challenge yourself but also recognises that goals have to fit around your actual life. She has also helped me understand that losing weight doesn’t mean giving up everything you enjoy. “For example, I can still go out for a nice curry with my family. I might just make a small change, such as not having the naan bread. Those small changes don’t feel like I’m depriving myself, but over time they make a significant difference.” For me, that is what makes the Livewell approach work. It isn’t about being told what you can’t do. It’s about understanding how you can make better choices while still enjoying your life. When I look back to where I was eight months ago, the change is something I’m genuinely proud of. I’ve lost four stone, I’m considerably more active, I’m enjoying cooking and exercising with my family, and I have a much more positive outlook on my health.
Most importantly, I now have the confidence to believe that I can continue making these changes for the long term.