‘I feel a million dollars’

Lottie, who leads a very active lifestyle not only works at the Grand Opera House, is a volunteer with the Camlin Credit Union and helps out in the soup kitchen in Lisburn joined her Crumlin class in September 2013 when she stood at 13st 12½lbs.

“I had been borderline diabetic for a while,” she said. “Eventually my doctor put me on one tablet a day, but the next time I went back he put me on two, and then a few months after that I was up to three.

“I was worried about getting to the stage where I would have to have injections, so decided to do something about it.”

Lottie soon reaped the changes when she joined the local class.

“My biggest weakness was always bread so I had to make some changes there,” she said. “I switched to using the Weight Watchers loaf; it was hard at first, but now I wouldn’t dream of buying anything else. I still love my sandwich for lunch, so now I make it at home and bring it into work with me.

“I never had a massive weight loss in all the time I was going to class; I don’t think you should go in there with the attitude that you’re going to lose stones and stones; the best way to do it is to take it pound by pound.

“I never had a massive weight loss in all the time I was going to class; I lost maybe one or two pounds a week, three at the very most.

“I don’t think you should go in there with the attitude that you’re going to lose stones and stones; the best way to do it is to take it pound by pound, and week by week.

“I was heading for four tablets a day with my diabetes. I’m now down to one, and I’m hopeful that when I go back in January I will be taken off medication all together – I’m delighted because that’s the reason I joined.”

Lottie went on holiday to Cuba in September and was able to wear her much loved swimwear.

“I have to say I felt a million dollars, it was wonderful,” she said. “I’m not a smoker or a big drinker, but the one thing that I do love is clothes. Since losing the weight I’ve had to buy a whole new wardrobe which is great.”

Anyone looking to join the class can ring Bernie on 07789813337.