I lost 14 kilograms

When she was younger, Debbie would lose weight by basically starving herself of food for weeks at a time. After becoming a mom, she discovered a healthier approach with lasting effects.

Name: Debbie*

Age: 43

Weight before: 80kg

Weight after: 65kg

Time to achieve: About 3 months

* Debbie (not her real name) lost weight by using a foreign website that provides similar tools to Slimtrack.co.za. Her story is told here to show Slimtrack users what is possible, but we would love to tell the stories of actual Slimtrack users here. If you want to share your Slimtrack success with others (anonymously if you prefer!), please let us know at help@slimtrack.co.za.

Lifestyle before: When I joined the website my weight had been up and down for many years. When I was younger, losing weight would involve eating nothing or very little for weeks at a time, and it worked well for me. But now that I'm older, this method doesn't work because I get hungry!

My health was probably average before. In our household we tended to eat well(ish), but when the children were younger there were far too many take-away meals.  When I look back on it now, I don't know how we survived!

My fitness wasn't too bad either.  After having children, I got into running after joining a soccer team.  I needed to run in order to play, so I started jogging. However, I still hadn't really linked running and eating better. And I think I drank too much! My weight fluctuated and when I wasn't running (for various reasons) I piled on the kilograms again. It wasn't until I discovered the website that I put everything together. The rest, as they say, is history!

I didn't become overweight until I left home and went to college. Hot chips at the canteen daily were my downfall.  Although I'd always eaten healthily at home, my parents being health freaks, on my own I ate rubbish. Too much take-away pizza!

I think the website tools worked because it gave me the ability to know the kilojoule values of food and to make better choices.  It also gave me the strength and knowledge that one bad food choice shouldn't be the catalyst for giving up completely. I'd log the food and often discovered things weren't as bad I thought and could then make adjustments to the rest of the day's food.

How did you stay motivated? I'm the sort of person that really thrives on being able to record everything I eat and drink and to watch how it all adds up. As long as my weight was coming off, I was happy to keep writing it all down and let the website do the calculations for me. The discussion forums on the site also helped because I could follow other users' ups and downs.

What are the benefits of online weight-loss tools? I loved the online approach because I didn't have to make time to go to slimming meetings or see other people. I'd done that before with a weight-loss club, and it was often difficult to find the motivation. I would often starve myself for half the day if I knew I had to go to weigh in that night. On the website I could weigh in when it suited me, and in private.

How has losing weight changed your life? I equate weight loss to better running. Running is my life!

What is your advice for people who just start their journey? Stick with it. It won't happen instantly. Stay with the diary and use it to see what works for you. Follow the patterns over time.  Don't get discouraged if you have a meal or day or week that's "off". Just get back on the wagon and don't be afraid to keep going. Most of all you have to realise that it's more about a lifestyle change than a diet change!