Karen McMillian Before Karen McMillian After Karen McMillian Before Karen McMillian After
Karen McMillan Weight Loss Success Story
Goal: Size 10
Achievements: Lost 3 stone in 12 weeks
In 12 weeks Karen lost 3 stone and went down three dress sizes, bringing her to 9 stone 10lb and a size 10.
Karen's story:
'I was a ballet dancer as a child, dancing every day and then going on to teach dance, so for years I didn't have to worry about my weight. I was a size 8-10, and weighed 9st in my 20s, which is slim for my 5ft 7in height.
Got Married...
Then I married Stuart and had children and everything changed. I piled on more than 4st during my pregnancy with Ella. After Ella was born, I weighed nearly 13st and wore size 16 clothes. There are only 22 months between Ella and Kieran, so I never got back into shape before I became regnant again.
By last October, I was utterly miserable at being fat. I'd been telling myself for years that I would tackle my weight properly once the children were older, but suddenly the youngest was six and I was still carrying around nearly 4st of baby weight. Since Ella was born, and I used to do a couple of aerobics classes a week, but it never made any difference.
Strong conscious decision...
I took conscious decision to change my lifestyle. I cut back drastically on the carbohydrates, especially eating them late in the evenings, and ate more protein to build muscle. I learned as how to push myself in intervals, bringing my heart rate up and down, which is the best way to burn fat.
Before, I would just sweat it out during an aerobics class, but this way I'd do short bursts of intense activity, and recover briefly in between. I also did ore weights and resistance training to build muscle.
Exercise never feels like a burden to me now, it is an integral part of my life, and I enjoy it."
Present exercise routine of Karen...
Karen now goes to the gym at least three times a week for an hour. She does weights on her arms and legs for 15 or 20 minutes, then a series of 100 abdominal crunches, then 20 minutes of cardio work: running and walking for two minutes each, to bring her heart rate up and down. She finishes her workout with a session on the Power Plate machine.
"For the first time in nine years, I tried on a pair of size 10 jeans in the Christmas sales and they fit! I still get a buzz out of selecting size 10 clothes; it's tempting to leave the labels hanging out!
But most of all I love the way I feel: I'm happier and have so much energy" said Karen.
This case study is provided by David Lloyd Leisure Ltd.
