Inspirational mum drops more than seven stone

When single mum Louise Mason was asked if she was pregnant, the 35-year-old from Lincolnshire decided she needed to lose weight.

Louise said: “Someone asked me if I was pregnant . . . I was mortified!

“In the same week, someone else called me fat, and that was when I decided enough was enough.”

Louise, who has cerebral palsy, suffered for years with low self-esteem, partly due to the visible nature of her disability, which limits her day-to-day mobility.

Louise turned to over-eating as a source of comfort, binging on sugary foods, which consequently increased her weight gain and contributed to acne.

“I became very low and depressed with the weight gain - I would barely speak to anyone.

“I’m a single mum, and when I dropped my son off at school I would leave as quickly as I could, instead of chatting and engaging with the other mums.

“My self-confidence became so low that I couldn’t even stand to look at myself.

“I didn’t have one photograph of my son and me together. I would keep my eyes closed at the hairdressers so as not to look at myself, and I avoided mirrors at home. I hadn’t seen myself naked for a good 15 years and I even wore underwear in the shower!”

When her loved ones began to acknowledge her weight gain in January 2020, and she was asked if she was pregnant, Louise knew things had to change.

When a work colleague informed Louise of the positive effects she was experiencing with The 1:1 Diet, she decided to contact Consultant, Glynis Porteous.

“Glynis talked me through the Steps of the diet and liaised with the medical team to make sure everything was safe regarding my disability. They agreed that as my cerebral palsy was stable, I was able to start on Plan.

“I saw a dramatic weight loss during the first month and that was my incentive to keep going. I found the diet fitted easily into my life as a busy working mum with a disability.

“The products were delicious and there was always a good variety to choose from each week.

“I really couldn’t have don it without Glynis’ constant encouragement though – it was such a huge factor in my results.

“She’s been so supportive throughout and talked me through some really tough times. I would never have gone to a group weigh-in so her one-to-one support has been amazing.

Louise went from 17 stone, seven pounds to her current weight of 10 stone six pounds.

“Eleven months on and I am more than seven stone lighter! I have a whole new wardrobe of clothes, which fit my new figure and I have managed to have a hair appointment and keep my eyes open. I can’t stop taking selfies of my son and I!”

The weight loss has provided physical benefits for Louise as well as increasing her confidence.

“My skin is clear and I am able to walk further than I have for years without struggling with my cerebral palsy.  

“I’ve also been on holiday where I went swimming for the first time in 15 years. Prior to my weight loss I always felt uncomfortable in a swimming costume, but that’s now changed and I’m even thinking of joining a water-based exercise class.

“Emotionally, I am smiling again, and I am starting to get some self-worth back. I know my disability will never go away, but I am now learning to live with it, and my son has got his mum back.

“The 1:1 Diet has quite simply changed my life in so many ways and has inspired me to become a Consultant myself. I can’t wait to start helping others in the way Glynis has helped me.”

Louise was also shortlisted in The 1:1 Diet’s Family Champion category at the 2020 Slimmer Awards – an annual celebration which recognises some of the inspiring journeys of their community.

Inspired to start your own weight loss story? Find a Consultant today!