Catherine’s confidence had hit rock bottom. She was in a vicious cycle of comfort eating, which lead to the weight piling on fast. After seeing photos of herself at her 40th birthday party, she was horrified, giving her the wake up call she needed. After reading about The New You Plan, she ordered a starter bundle and hasn’t looked back, losing 5st 7lbs, dropping 6 dress sizes & being named the overall winner of our Jan/Feb New Year, New You Transformation Challenge, bagging herself £3000 cash.
Here is her story…
New You: Catherine, why did you decide to join the challenge?
Catherine: So I entered the challenge for a combination of reasons, really. I just thought it would be good to challenge myself. I wouldn’t normally have the confidence to even submit photos. I know a lot of people don’t like sharing their before photos because we’re clearly not happy at the time with the way we look and feel. And as I lost more and more weight, the confidence began to grow and so I just thought, why not? I’ve done well and I would share lots of progress photos in Secret Slimmers anyway. And loads of people were telling me in the group to enter.
I was blown away when I got the phone call. I just couldn’t believe it. I knew I’d lost weight, but not to the point where I thought I’d be in with a chance of winning or in fact, the overall winner. And honestly, I still question things now. Before I started the plan, my confidence was so low so I avoided going out. So now I’m out going out more and I’m seeing people again. When I see someone I haven’t see in ages, they can be a bit funny, because they assumed I was sick or something. I try to just accept the compliment but I don’t take them very well. So when I won the challenge again, I was like, are you sure you’ve got the right person? I was so over the moon! And I guess I had to give myself a bit of a pat on the back then.
New You: Did you hit any milestone during the challenge?
Catherine: Well, I started my journey at 17st 2lbs and I think my first initial goal was to get below 15. And then I hit that quite quickly, within my first 3 or 4 weeks. That just spurred me on and then I just kept setting the next goal to get into that next stone bracket, and as I was moving down the scales, I was also moving down the BMI scale as well. When I started this plan, I was classed as morbidly obese, and then I went into obese and then the overweight category. So that’s always a big goal as well, because everybody wants to be classed as healthy for medical reasons.
And clothing wise, I was a (quite tight) size 22. My initial goal was to get back into a size 14 because that’s probably where I was before I piled on all the weight. I seemed to just jump from a size 14 to a 22 overnight. Again, I got back into a size 14 surprisingly quickly. And then a 12 and now I’m fitting in size 10 clothes, which I just cannot believe. You hold items up in the shop and you just think, there’s no chance that’s going to fit me. And then you try it on and it does and it’s just amazing. It still amazes me now – I think it takes a while for your mind to catch up.
New You: We’d love to know how you heard about the plan!
Catherine: I discovered the new you plan by Google search. I was just doing a bit of research into low calorie diets and there were loads of options. I had a look at the reviews on Trustpilot for The New You Plan and they were really good – all very positive. I looked at some of the starter bundles and they looked great. So the combination of those things made me choose The New You Plan.
Getting started…
New You: What led to you starting the plan?
Catherine: Before I stated the New You Plan my confidence was at an all time low. I had put on so much weight over the last few years and I had got into a vicious cycle of comfort eating and drinking, but then putting on even more weight and feeling worse. I had turned 40 in September and whilst I had a nice time celebrating, the photos of me were the wake up call I needed. I was horrified by what I saw. I thought to myself there is no way this can carry on into my 40s.
New You: And tell us about that first week…
Catherine: The first few days actually were surprisingly easy. I think I was just excited about starting the plan. I had a starter bundle and there were lots of different options to choose from. Some packs I liked more than others. So the early days were about figuring out what to do, when you can have a snack etc.
I understood very early on that you need to drink lots of water, and I think that really helps with hunger pains, or any kind of headache in the early days. Around day 4 and 5 I did struggle and I did have some headaches. I felt just a little bit tired and moody. But again, I read up and I knew that this was to be expected as our bodies are adjusting to the different foods and all the vitamins and nutrients that they are probably not used to having. But after day 5, I was okay again. And then I knew I’d cracked it, really. I wasn’t really hungry. I just kept drinking. I’d read a post on Secret Slimmers group that said something like, “The more you drink, the more you shrink.” And that was very true because when I had my first weigh in, I lost 11lbs, which just spurred me on and kept me going.
New You: What are your go-to meals & snacks?
Catherine: The Mexican Tacos is my absolute favourite, to the point where I think I am addicted – they’re just full of flavour and really filling. And you can add certain things to it to change the flavour slightly as well, such as cayenne pepper or fresh chilies, garlic and onion, and sometimes I’ll have it with crisps as well as for an extra special treat. And it’s just such a tasty meal, to the point where my husband always wants to try it as well. Out of the sweet ones, I just love the Strawberry Shake and it’s a really nice summer drink as well – lots and lots of ice to thicken it up and. It just feels quite naughty, even though it’s not.
Life changing…
New You: How would you say the plan has changed your life?
Catherine: This has given me the confidence to get back to the gym and I have recently completed the couch to 5k programme with the local running club. I now run most days, which is something I certainly couldn’t have done without losing all this weight. I have a new found self confidence and lease of life, I finally feel excited about attending social events instead of dreading them.
New You: What would you say to someone thinking of starting the plan?
Catherine: Take lots of photos and drink lots of water. And I really do stick to the motto that the more you drink, the more you shrink.
Have all your packs – don’t think that if you skip a pack you’re going to lose any more weight. I don’t think that’s safe at all. It’s all done on science – we’re meant to have a certain amount of calories and vitamins and minerals, so have all your packs. Have a snack if you want a snack, and if you have a day where you are really hungry or you want to have a blip, then have your snack that day if you really need to, because tomorrow is a new day and you can start again.
As much as we’d like to lose as much weight as possible in a short space of time, it’s got to be realistic and you’ve got to live your life. You’ve got to be able to go to birthday parties and just don’t get too stressed out about it.
New You Plan: As our overall winner, you won a huge £3000 cash. What are you planning to spend it on?
Catherine: I’m definitely going on holiday. I’ve avoided going on holidays because I didn’t want to wear swimwear or wanting to be the biggest person by the pool. Even just getting on a plane and trying to get those seatbelts on. That was one of my non-scale victories that I shared in Secret Slimmers – that I could actually fasten my seatbelt and I had some flap left over, which was just one of the best moments ever. So yeah, definitely take my family on holiday and also just treat myself to some new size 10 clothes that actually fit me.
New You: And then finally, what’s next?
Catherine: So I have an end weight in my mind and I think I am now about 13 pounds away from my goal. I have relaxed it slightly where I’m no longer doing total food replacement. I do a mix of TFR and Switch days. I would probably say I do 70% total food replacement and then at the weekends I would have a Switch day and that seems to work for me. I still weigh-in weekly and I’m still losing 2lbs a week on average. And I think that’s realistic when thinking about maintaining. I’ve upped my exercise too. I’ve just completed the couch to 5k programme, which I started in January, and I am booked on to do a Manchester 10k run at the end of May. So that’s my next big physical goal – to be able to run that without stopping. And I think if I carry on and lose a few more pounds and just feel that extra bit fitter, then I should have no problem achieving that.
Whether you want to lose half a stone or 10 stone*, have a slimmer figure, or are just looking to get maximum nutrition in minimum time, then New You can make the perfect partner to get you to where you want to be.
Join Our £100,000 Giveaway… Make 2024 Your Year of MORE
Our Transformation Challenge is BACK for 2024 & it’s bigger & better than ever!!
Are you ready to make 2024 your healthiest, happiest year yet? This year we launched our biggest ever giveaway, and we’re inviting you to be a part of it. Join us on a journey of self-improvement, community, and incredible rewards.
The Lowdown…
- Enjoy 4 yummy meals a day: Kickstart your health journey with tasty meals that make a real difference.
- Share your story: Got a great update? Post it on social media and in our community. You could win awesome freebies just for sharing your progress!
- Snap & win: Every 2 months, send in your progress photos. You could win a share of £7000. Let’s celebrate your journey together!
- Go for the big prize: Create an amazing transformation and you could grab our top prize of £10,000 in November 2024. It’s all about the wow factor!
Exciting Prizes to be Won
This year, we’re giving away 52K in cash. £7,000 cash will be won every 2 months for our absolute favourite glow-ups! One overall winner will WIN £3000 cash and 4 more customers will each WIN £1000. And the grand finale? An epic £10,000 cash prize for one overall winner! Plus, if you’re a runner-up sharing your story, you’re in for a treat with thousands of pounds worth of awesome products!
Our next Transformation Challenge deadline is 30th April so it’s time to submit your I AM IN photos.
The post £100K TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE: WINNER Catherine Lost 5st 7lbs* & WON £3000 Cash! appeared first on The New You Plan.
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