Maxine joined the One You Lincolnshire Eat Well, Lose Weight programme with the aim of losing 5% of her body weight. Not only did she smash this goal by week 7, losing an amazing 5.4kg, but she continues to lose weight. Maxine has upped her physical activity levels by creating an exercise room at home which has enabled her to lose a further 5.6kg - An impressive 11kg loss in total, which is 1 stone, 10lbs!! Maxine has now set herself the target of getting her BMI into the 'healthy range'.

Back when Maxine first began taking part in the programme, her doctor had advised her that she would need a knee replacement operation soon and consequently she had been relying on using her mobile scooter and walking stick, to aid her mobility. When it came to taking part in physical activity during the group sessions, Maxine always gave the exercises her best shot, despite some of the activities being rather challenging for her. Right at the start of the programme Maxine exercised for around 15 minutes each week, but as she began to get a greater range of movement in her knee, her leg muscles started to strengthen and her fitness improved, the number of minutes just kept going up, and up! By the end of the 12 weeks she was taking part in 2 hours of exercise, EVERYDAY! This is a whopping 14 hours of exercise a week. It had become part of her routine, that she enjoyed doing!

Prior to starting the programme Maxine was already eating her 5 a day, which she not only sustained throughout the 12 weeks, but would regularly consume 7 or more portions each day. Maxine would often lead by example and share pictures of the meals she had created on the groups Facebook page, hoping to motivate and inspire other people to also increase their fruit and vegetable intake.

Around halfway through the programme, Maxine decided she wanted to stop smoking. She went along and met Steve, a Stop Smoking Practitioner at One You Lincolnshire, who supported her to reduce her habit. This is something that Maxine continues to work on, and now that she has successfully completed the Lose Weight With programme she can really work on this.

Right from the outset, Maxine was determined and extremely committed to achieving her goal and it has massively paid off. She has reduced her Body Mass Index (BMI) to a level where her doctor is now happy to recommend her for the knee operation that she so desperately wanted;  She has sold her mobility scooter as she no longer uses it and is adamant, she will not get back to a way where she needs it. Maxine also uses her walking stick much less, as her knees are no longer under as much pressure, due to the weight she has lost. Her sleep is much improved, now waking up less often in the night from knee pain. She has 26 bags worth of clothes that no longer fit and plans sort through even more! And is now looking forward to buying new clothes or altering her favourites.

‍So, What was the biggest challenge?

"It took a bit to get my head in the right place, to embark on this big change. Encouragement from other people and Helena and Amber giving me the right information helped. Once I started seeing progress I was motivated to keep it going."

What are you most pleased with?

"I am really pleased with the physical changes I have seen to my body, especially when I look back to 2015 (see two photo’s to compare). In 5 years it’s quite phenomenal!"

What affect has it had on you?

"I am more focused on my mind and I have become more internally motivated to do things, rather than wanting to please others, I have done it for myself! I am much less bothered about what people think! I have a completely different attitude towards unhealthy habits; when my friends say let’s go out for a big slap up meal and drinks, I think, no. I will have my tea at home and then go out for a few drinks."

What did you enjoy about the programme?

"I enjoyed everything about doing the programme. I was apprehensive about the exercise part at first, because of [my] knees; but the more the weight came off, the better I got."

What did you not enjoy about the programme?

"I was most disappointed with the people that stopped attending the group, if you get the chance, you should do it! I was given the opportunity and I didn’t want to blow it!"

‍‍Well done Maxine, from all of us at One You Lincolnshire, you have made so many amazing changes in your life!

If you or anyone you know would like support losing weight with One You Lincolnshire, we would love to hear from you, check out https://www.oneyoulincolnshire.org.uk/lincolnshire-residents for more information.

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