Dorothy Stocks

Consultant: Mel Lay

Starting Weight: 118.9 Kg

Current Weight: 85 Kg

I was overweight as a child and I can remember being the heaviest girl in my class at junior school. 

My mum was a great cook and I was allowed to eat as much as I wanted and as often as I wanted. I overindulged on a daily basis and by the time I was a teenager I had started on the diet treadmill.

I have tried every diet I read about and did have some success in losing weight managing to maintain for a few years in my teens and early twenties. 

I got married at 20 and was soon cooking nice meals with wine as we entertained friends and attended regular social events. I tried to compensate for these indulgent meals by skipping regular healthy eating and between the age of 20 and 40 became a regular YoYo dieter. 

We divorced after 16 years. I was a size 16/18 and was an emotional eater. When I was happy I controlled my appetite with reasonable success however each time I had an emotional crisis I found myself comfort eating and drinking.  I would go on another diet lose weight but never managed to maintain for very long. I have never managed to maintain and be comfortable with my weight. 

At the age of 40 I met my soul mate and thought we would be together for life. For 17 years, we had a good life even though I still struggled with my weight managing to only maintain a size 14-16.

Fate hit when my partner was diagnosed with cancer. Long hours followed at the Hospital and of course I reverted to my old habit of comfort eating which resulted in my weight reaching the heaviest I can ever remember.

My partner began making a good recovery from his illness and I knew I had to start looking after myself. I was 50 years old and fatter than I had ever been. I did manage to lose over 3 stone which is the most I had ever managed to lose in my life and I started to feel positive and look forward to a happier future however this didn’t last. Our relationship deteriorated because the stress of illness and recovery had changed us as people and my partner no longer valued our relationship which ended when I was 57. With the help of friends I managed to get through the emotional crisis but returned to emotional eating and neglected my health. My life became a treadmill of work and home and I hit the lowest point of life. 

My family offered me the opportunity of relocating to Spain and I decided to relocate. After about 9 months it was time to take another long hard look at myself.  I had regained all my weight. I was fat and looked dreadful. 

A friend had recently started Cambridge Weight Plan and decided to give it a go. I started on Plan December 2017 and began to lose weight. As the weight dropped off and I started to feel a new positive outlook on life. My consultant Mel supported me throughout my journey, when I struggled Mel was there to offer positive encouragement.  I did not lose weight too quickly so it took a while before friends started to notice the difference in me.  Soon afterwards some friends who had not seen me for a year came to visit. The reaction was so positive I was delighted.

During their visit they were joined by their friends from the UK who were touring in Spain and I met Ed for the first time. Ed returned to Spain in January 2019 and has become a great friend who supports and encourages me every day.

I continued to lose weight and never came off plan even when it difficult. Mel kept me positive and focussed, encouraging me throughout my journey. As I got closer to target I became a new positive person, happier and healthier. I have now lost over three stone and have new friends and a new life.

Mel continues to support me and is now my fantastic mentor helping me to develop my own Cambridge Weight Plan Consultancy business.

I never thought losing weight would give me new life opportunities to help others to feel as positive and healthy as I do today. I really feel I can now maintain and succeed in my own weight loss journey with support from the important people now in my life.

Thank you Mel Lay for being my mentor and now my friend and colleague.