Louise Pugh who was a champion on two successive weight loss challenges

Louise Pugh who was a champion on two successive weight loss challenges and achieved fantastic health benefits that inspired me, her family and her colleagues!   This is her story...

 "I have quite literally been on a diet all of my life- I was first put on a diet by a doctor at 3 months old and have struggled with my weight ever since.

I have tried most diets on the market:

Cabbage soup diet- it worked as I lost weight but it had unpleasant side effects!! And I put on weight rapidly when I stopped doing it.

Slim Fast- again I lost weight but I felt ill and could not keep it up.

Weight Watchers- I have been to WW many times and managed to lose weight each time but because I viewed it as a diet I could not/ would not sustain it and put the weight back on and more each time.

I decided that I would give up dieting and just be happy as I was which I did until my 40^th birthday in December last year. I was not worried about turning 40 and thought I looked ok until I saw the pictures from my party. I looked awful!!

On the day I decided to do something about it a free community magazine was posted through my door. Inside was an advert for Weight Loss Challenge which sounded like my kind of thing as I am highly competitive!! I gave the number a ring and had my first conversation with Heba- straight away I decided she was a person I could get on with, loud, bubbly and very inspiring!! 

I joined WLC with the intention of losing weight, using my holiday in March as a goal. At first I struggled with WLC as I was not losing weight as rapidly as I wanted to. 

It took many conversations with Heba, during which she was very calm and encouraging, for me to realise that I needed to change my attitude towards food and weight loss and view it as a lifestyle change rather than just an attempt to lose weight. 

Through Heba’s classes I learnt about protein, the right nutrients, the benefits of green tea and drinking water, how Herbalife products can be beneficial in not only weight loss but also in maintaining a healthy life style and why it is more important to lose the fat inside my body and increase my muscle in order to be healthier.

People began to notice the difference in me after a few weeks and asked me what I was doing. After I explained  4 of my friends decided to join WLC to see if it could help them too. It did!!

At the end of the 12 week challenge I managed to lose 12.1 kgs (26.7 lbs) Which was a total of 13.8% of my starting weight. I also lost 8.2% fat and 40.5 cms from all over my body. The icing on the cake was winning the weight loss challenge and getting a cash prize!

At this point I looked and felt so much better but knew I still had a lot to learn and I still had fat that I needed to get rid of so I joined up for another 12 week weight loss challenge. At the end of this I was 6.5 kg (14.3 lbs) lighter, which was 8.2% of my body weight. I had also lost a further 3.5% of my body fat and 12.5 cms from all over my body. 

I was also very fortunate to come second in this challenge.

One thing I noticed during the challenge, other than the weight loss, was my fitness level improving. At the beginning I started walking daily with my husband and could hardly breathe at first let alone talk!! Now we still walk most evenings and I am able to hold a full-blown conversation. I also go to the gym twice a week and my trainer has commented on how my fitness level has increased.  

The challenge has also impacted on my family too as I cook healthier meals and encourage my children to be more active to ensure they do not end up like me (or how I was, constantly struggling with my weight)

At the end of the second challenge I realised that it was time to put everything I had learnt into good use and with Heba’s encouragement I decided to become a Wellness coach. I am just starting on this journey but I know that with Heba’s continuing support I will be able to help people be happier and healthier just as she has helped me.

 It is now 6 months since I finished WLC and I have not gained any weight, am still eating healthily and exercising more so for me it does work!!"

I was thrilled with her achievement!
This is amazing and inspirational.
Well done Louise.
 
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