Hello, and welcome to Vegan Recipes for Weight Loss. I’m Heidi and I’m happy you’re here!
I’m an ex-Weight Watchers Coach (or Leader as we were known as back then) and I’m working my way back to my Gold weight. The main aim of my blog is to document my weight loss journey and to share with you all the hints and tips that help me along the way.
A little about me
I’m a small town girl at heart having settled in rural Suffolk (UK), in the same town I grew up in. I’ve always had a love-affair with food – I am a typical comfort eater – and have always been a little overweight.
Like many women, I gained some weight after having my son but then the stresses of a divorce followed by several failed relationships meant that my weight has crept up and up. Below you can see one of the rare photos of me at not quite my heaviest weight. It was taken on News Years Eve 2006 and was supposed to be a James Bond themed night following the release of the film Casino Royale.
And here is one of me with my beautiful sister in 2007 at our soon-to-be sister-in-law’s hen party.
It was around the time that this image was taken that I decided to do something about it and I joined my local Weight Watchers group with my Mum.
I managed to lose about a stone before my brother’s wedding (September 2007) but it took me another 8 months to reach my goal weight. Here is an after of me and my lovely mum after getting to goal
And another of me with my sister on Halloween 2008
What a difference right?! By this time I’d already applied for and trained to become a Weight Watchers Leader.
I started running two WW meetings a week and found that I thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and encouraging them on their own weight loss journey. I met some wonderful people (*wave* a shout out to everyone from those meetings) and had some very proud moments when they reached their own goal weights.
Being a WW Leader takes a lot of work, and towards the end of 2010 it was starting to get a little too much to fit it all in around my full-time day job, so I gave it up.
I managed to keep the weight off for another 2 years or so but then the old habits started creeping back in and so did the weight.
The image above was taken in November 2016 and the one below in June 2017.
Up until the end of 2016 I had been trying to get back on track but, unfortunately, I’d totally lost my mojo and simply could not manage to shift any weight whatsoever. I had also become a vegetarian and was really struggling to find foods that were WW-friendly, especially when eating out, which I was doing alot! So I gave myself a break and, after nearly 10 years of going to WW meetings, I left completely.
By June 2018 I had put on all the weight I’d lost plus a bit more. I was miserable and so frustrated with myself. I needed to do something to turn this all around. I realised I needed something to keep me accountable and so Vegan Recipes for Weight Loss was born.
I believe in eating healthily but also having a little of what I fancy. Whilst all my meals are still plant-based, I don’t call myself vegan as that involves a whole lot more than just not eating animal products and I’m simply not there – yet.
I’ll be sharing my weekly weigh-ins, tips and tricks that I learned whilst running the two WW meetings a week and the recipes that have helped me along the way.
If you would like to join me in a weight loss journey then sign up to my email newsletter to keep in touch.
