Shake Shake Shake Senora

My name is Rachel Mc Closkey and I'm overweight. There I said it, it's out there.... I know it, you know it, now google+ know's it. The fact is, i've always known it, but skimmed around the subject, the problem is, i've never semi-skimmed.  I am a naturally curvaceous girl, I got it from my momma (and my dad, to be fair) and I'm proud of it. I'll never be skinny, and nor do I aim to be. I feel every woman should embrace what their born with, and that's what I'm doing, I just don't want to embrace the after-effects of unhealthy eating I'm now seeing in the mirror everyday. For far too long I've avoided the subject, as if one day I will wake up and have a stomach like Beyonce, I'd like to think I have her moves, so i'm half way there. I have tried different diets since I was a teenager, I was a member of Weight Watchers twice, a diet that has worked for my mum, but for me, the counting of points got too much and being able to eat something unhealthy but balancing out points for, just encouraged bad behaviour. I was still seeing Mc Donalds, seeing him at weekends, when I was hungover and needed comfort, holidays etc but I knew.. my friends knew.. and my parents knew, that he wasn't good for me. And I needed him out of my life completely. We had to break up and he had to take his friends KFC, Dominoes and Chinese with him, as they only reminded me of him, and it was just too hard.

As I said, Weight Watchers has worked for my mum, she got her gold star by behaving herself, and the proof is in the low-fat calorie controlled pudding, she looks and feels amazing. It got to October 2012, just coming up to my 23rd birthday, and I felt terrible, as happy as I was for her, and very proud, I felt shame that my mum looked so much better, she was able to give me a dress because it was too big for her. I needed change, and I was the only one who could bring it. Which introduces my "Guru" aka my good friend Dearbhail. Me and Dearbhail have been best friends since secondary school, we've had many take-outs together, a river of fatty wine, cans and cans of coke, we comfort ate and comforted each other. Dearbhail is the life and soul of the party, she lights up a room with an infectious personality. She is the bubbly one, the one to get your Dad up dancing at the party. Neither of us are shy, we love meeting new people, we make a joke at our expense and laugh it off so others will laugh with us. I guess to make up for our insecurity with our weight, we took on the role of "the joker" to con people into thinking we're confident and excuse you if i may, sassy bitches!

Dearbhail took the brave steps first. She started the Lipotrim diet. A calorie controlled, food replacement diet. For 12 weeks she had three milkshakes a day, black tea, black coffee and water only. Now I know what you're thinking, it's one of those crazy diet plans off the internet that mess you up. In fact it's through a pharmacy where the pharmacist keeps a close eye on you, weighing you every week to test your BMI, and only giving you a certain amount a week so you can't go loco. It's no walk in the park, not one meal for 12 weeks, no nibbles, chewing gums, no texture! But look at the results! This is Dearsy before and after, I am so so so proud of her. 

This diet is not for J'Los wanting to be Alexa Chung, it's for overweight people, or with slight obesity and has to be taken very carefully. After the 12 weeks you introduce normal food but with the pharmacist plan. i.e protein and salad. Dearsy's at the stage now where she's eating normally, healthy, but exercising to maintaining. Lipotrim is a kickstart to a healthier lifestyle. She has lost 6stone so far! 

Without a doubt I wouldn't have considered it without her, she is the incentive, the before and after proof that it's worth it. I decided in October that I would start it the 2nd week of January. Not only as I knew it would be too hard to do in winter, but it's something you mentally have to prepare for. It's a huge experience, and something you don't just walk into. So January's here and off I went to the closest pharmacy that does Lipotrim, as not all do, and got my measurements, BMI tested, health check-up and then got my weeks groceries, groceries meaning 21 shakes to do me all week. Not 5 bags of glorious sainsburys goods! (I miss it already) The flavours are strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and chicken. The strawberry and vanilla you can make into moose, which will help with texture! And the choc and chicken you can have hot, so will be like having a hot chocolate (not exactly cafe nero standard) and a cuppa soup (hold the bread, hold the salt).

Today is one step closer to being healthy, i'm trying to stay positive, I've told everyone i'm doing it, so I HAVE to do or i'll feel embarrassed that I told so many people they are gonna see Beyonce's twin in 12 weeks and they still see Rachel! Not only that, but you know and I know that when you get to the pub and say you're not drinking, your friends take on the Mrs Doyle (Father Ted) role "Go on, go on, go on, just one, ye will!" whereas they have the heads up and can be really supportive! Which they have been. My housemate even made a star chart! I'll get those stars, no not delicious milky stars..... but fabulous healthy, correct BMI stars!! Just you wait!!