A Montrose woman has shared how following Slimming World’s vegan diet and getting hands-on in the kitchen transformed her life, boosted her confidence and helped her lose nine stone in the process.
Zoe Salmond says her confidence improved after joining healthy eating classes where she gained the support of others trying to lose weight.
Zoe, 25, explains: “I was never really happy with the way I looked and continued to pile on the weight as I got older.
“I’ve sort of always been on a diet. But this time, something has obviously worked, a switch has been flicked.
“A lot of people say something happened to make them do it but it wasn’t like that for me. I just realised I needed to do it now.”
Going vegan and joining Slimming World
Zoe went vegan in 2018 and after rejoining Slimming World in Carnoustie, decided to adapt their plan to her vegan diet.
She continues: “I took more of an interest in what I was cooking and I was starting to enjoy that process.
“I wouldn’t say the vegan diet was a magic answer, but it did make me focus on eating different things and there wasn’t the distraction of ice cream and chocolate.
“I tried classes when I was younger and I had meat and dairy while I was doing it then.
“I’m not saying I wasn’t successful before because of that, but I’ve enjoyed this way of eating.
“I’ve taken time to enjoy making a meal and I’m far more adventurous in what I make now – I don’t just cook the same things all the time anymore.”
Getting active
As well as switching things up in the kitchen, Zoe also decided to get more active, doing simple things like committing to going for a walk every day.
She continues: “I made it one of my new year’s resolutions to go for a walk every day. For my mental health and my weight loss, walking has been a great thing.
“I swim now too. I’ve always enjoyed it, but I was never confident before because I was bigger and I never wanted to go from the changing room to the pool.
“I recently started attending classes at the gym too. Losing weight has given me the confidence to do that. I would have never stepped foot in a gym before.”
Getting body confident
While she physically feels in a better place, Zoe’s mental health has also improved throughout her weight loss journey.
Zoe says: “I had no body confidence before the weight loss. I didn’t like leaving the house, I’d only go out for necessities like to work.
“Now I’ll happily make plans because I’m more confident. There has definitely been a change in attitude towards my body.
“I tend to say yes to a lot more things when I always would have said no before. If I had a fear of doing something, I just wouldn’t do it.
“Now I’m so much more likely to give new things a try.”
Top tips for success
Zoe’s life and confidence has been transformed. So, what are her top tips for others trying to lose weight and keep it off?
“I would highly suggest people find a Slimming World group. Make sure to jump right into it and take part.
“I’d also say don’t do something just because someone else is doing it. Do things you enjoy.
“There is no point in eating things you don’t like just because someone else is. There’s such a wide variety of foods out there, make sure you find the ones you enjoy.
“The same goes for activity. Just because someone is doing Couch to 5K doesn’t mean you should. If you have no interest in it, you’re not going to continue it, are you?”
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