Robyn's story

How much weight have you lost and how long did it take?

I've lost a total of 5st 11lbs81lbs 36.7kg, although the actual figure may be a little higher. I guess I could say it took a year to lose an initial stone from 2018-2019. Then, I really started putting in a lot of effort in April 2019 before a trip to Ibiza. It took me from the beginning of August 2019 until around July 2020 to lose the subsequent 4st 11lbs67lbs30.3kg. I have been maintaining 8st 9lbs121lbs54.8kg to 8st 12lbs124lbs56.2kg since then.

What prompted your decision to lose weight?

There wasn't one big reason why I decided to lose weight, rather there were lots of little things. I've always been a bigger girl, I seemed to hold onto the so-called 'puppy fat' from puberty long after friends had lost it. I would always be first in the lunch queue for seconds and the person that has the last piece of cake. It didn't bother me being heavier, until one day it did. It was Summer 2019 and I went to an event with my sister and some friends. It was humid and sticky but I was in jeans and wearing a strappy top with a jacket covering up my arms. I was overheating and uncomfortable all day to say the least. I remember looking back at pictures taken that day and really disliking me in them. I had never been conscious about my body, but I was beginning to not recognise the girl in the pictures, and it made me feel uneasy.

On the morning of the 24th of July 2019 I threw on a pair of old running leggings and falling apart trainers and went for a run. I ran for around 8 minutes. The first time I had ever gone on a run in my life. I didn't run again for five months after that morning, but that is besides the point. It gave me confidence. Was it hard? Yes but did it feel good and like I had achieved something? Hell yes! The 24th of July became such a significant day and what prompted the decision to lose weight.

It was also coming up to my 20th birthday, something that terrified me and had me question if I had achieved all I hoped for before I was 20 and what I wanted to achieve in my 20's. I decided I wanted to do something for me. Something that scared me. I wanted to face myself and do something I probably should have done a long time ago.

How did you hear about Nutracheck?

I tried a lot of different apps similar to Nutracheck at the same time a few years ago and this one kind of just stuck. I knew it was what I wanted to use to lose weight as I had seen results in the past.

Has your weight stayed fairly consistent over the years, or have you always had to manage it?

My weight has definitely fluctuated but has consistently increased overtime. I was always a size 10-12 throughout high school, increasing at the start of university to a size 14, before being a comfortable 16 at the beginning of my weight-loss journey.

How easy was it to fit the changes you made into your lifestyle?

I found adapting my lifestyle to the change relatively easy. Determination played a big part here. Working long hours on my feet in a busy Edinburgh hotel, I was already doing a lot of exercise before I started tracking my weight loss. For the initial few months, this certainly made it easier to focus more on what I was eating and my nutrition. What I actually found was that I began to enjoy the changes more and more over time with trying new recipes and foods I had not had before that fitted my plan.

What was the most difficult thing?

Going into this journey, I certainly didn't realise that the mental changes I would make would be as important as the physical changes. Around halfway through my journey, people began to notice the changes and telling me I looked so different and asking what I had been doing. I think at the time I found this quite overwhelming as my brain seemed to be a few months behind my body and perhaps not quite in tune. At these times, I had to refocus my energy and reassess my process. Once talking about these moments either just to myself or with friends and family I was able to catch up with myself.

How do you feel now compared to before?

Accomplished, strong and ready. This experience has taught me so much about my body, mind and the value of good nutrition and living a healthy lifestyle. I have grown so much as a person over this past year with a lot more confidence in myself. I look forward to continuing growing into the future.

Any notable milestones to report?

My original target was to reach 10st140lbs63.5kg. I reached this target at the end of January which was a big moment for me. It made me want to go further. I began going to the gym more and started putting more emphasis on growing my muscles and becoming leaner. This was certainly a changing point for me.

What 3 tips would you give to anyone who has weight to lose?

1. Get moving. If I have learnt anything from this journey, it is that if you can do anything to get active do it! I fell in love with walking personally. It's easy, cheap to do and can be fun exploring new places as well as having a bit of you time.
2. Set small targets. Have your big target in mind but break this into smaller goals. I tended to break my targets by minus 7lbs. This made the journey seem less daunting whilst also keeping me focused.
3. Know that this is your journey. Your journey is for you, no one else. Make your goals, reach your targets, and do what is best for you. Everybody is different and only you will know what your body needs.