Kelly Whitbread joined the ACE Cooking with Confidence group at exactly the same time as she set herself a personal goal to begin her weight loss programme. However, she needed support from both her tutor and the ASDAN Healthy Eating Lifeskills Challenge, linked to these personal targets, if she was going to succeed.

Like most people trying to lose weight, Kelly had placed all of her focus on the main goal, i.e. to lose weight. However, to maintain that weight loss, Kelly needed to be committed to making real, long-term changes with her diet, and to build in regular exercise too. It was going to need a concerted effort and a big commitment from her to do this. Kelly agreed she was ready for the challenge, that she was on board and ready to commit. Her target was to lose three stone.
Kelly kept an initial 2-week food diary to help her identify areas for change in her diet. She then began to make positive changes; small changes at first and then slowly building on them as she adjusted to her new ways.
She increased physical activity – dancing (especially at her ACE Hands Up to Music group), walking, aerobics and sports like Tai Chi, boxing, etc. She regularly participates in YouTube fitness programmes.
Over the weeks she slowly learnt to reverse poor eating habits and retraining herself to make healthier choices. Her mindset towards food and drink completely changed. She discovered about portion control. She learnt about not eating her food too quickly. She learnt about replacing sugar and fat with healthier alternatives, such as swapping cream for 0% fat Greek yoghurt, low fat, rather than full fat milk, sweetening desserts and cakes with natural sweeteners like dates, bananas or Stevia, filling up with fresh vegetables and fruits etc. At the start of her diet, Kelly was drinking on average three large bottles of fizzy drinks a week and she was having three sugars in her tea. She swapped those for 2 litres of fresh or flavoured water and just one sweetener in her tea. She learnt how to prepare healthy meals and treats for herself. She learnt that she can still have the odd treat without breaking her diet.
Every week she gets weighed in at Slimming World and then shares her weight loss with the Cooking with Confidence group who celebrate her achievement with her. Kelly has embraced all the changes with both hands and her mindset towards healthy eating and exercise has been completely reversed. She is firmly committed.
To date, Kelly has lost over 3 stone and she has decided to continue to lose the weight, rather than just simply maintain that weight loss. Kelly not only looks amazing but she is incredibly inspiring too. She has even encouraged a member of staff to follow her example and go on a weight loss programme herself!
We asked Kelly about her weight loss. She said that ASDAN made her stop and think, and ACE staff had shown her the way. Asked whether she would go back to her old habits again, she gave a very firm ‘no’ in response!
Kelly, all of us at ACE Activities applaud you. You have been incredible, and we are so very proud of what you have already achieved and are still continuing to achieve.
Leave a Reply