SHOPPING Di's objects of desire ME AND MY WARDROBE Kate ...

February 2004 Online: www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk
17
AFTER: a stylish and confident Sheila
IN 2001, Sheila Vickers went to Australia. It should have
been the holiday of a lifetime but she spent the entire
time being miserable because she was overweight. It all
started on the plane when she couldn’t fasten the
seatbelt and had to ask for an extension, but the most
embarrassing moment occurred during a river cruise.
Sitting at breakfast, a fellow passenger asked in a very loud
voice when her baby was due. Sheila, who was 49 at the time,
was mortified. She left the room in floods of tears and was so
upset, she fell down the stairs and ended up in a heap on the
floor. “It was soul destroying,” she says.
Sheila, who lives in Darlington, had always been active but
in 1992, she had an accident, which resulted in surgeons
removing some of the vertebrae from her neck. She spent
several months at home recuperating and, because she
wasn’t exercising, she started to gain weight, and no matter
how hard she tried, she couldn’t lose it.
At her largest, Sheila was a size 24. She had tried all sorts
of diets, from Cabbage Soup to Atkins, but nothing seemed to
work. She travelled all over the region to slimming
LIFE COACH
LOVE: MORE THAN A FEELING
WONDERING who will think of
you this Valentine’s Day?
Instead of waiting to see
what arrives in the post, think of who
you really want to reach out to. Love
is not a feeling, it is much more than
romance. Love is active. We show our
love by our actions.
Real love goes beyond emotions.
When we truly love, we accept
someone completely as they are,
unconditionally. That doesn’t mean we
accept bad behaviour and become
doormats but it does mean we keep
on loving despite faults and failings in
others, and especially ourselves.
Can you truly love in this way? How
about starting with you. It’s
impossible to love others if you can’t
love yourself. So give yourself a
special Valentine gift this year. Learn
to love yourself unconditionally and
let yourself shine. The admirers will
come flooding in.
Juliette is available
at www.sunflower
coaching.com or on
her mobile on
07740 416891
❛Now
life’s worth
living
again
Between them, Sheila Vickers and her
daughter Susan have lost almost ten stones
since joining Slimming World. They talk to
Women’s Editor CHRISTEN PEARS
classes because she didn’t want to meet anyone she knew.
Sheila works as a freelance book keeper but didn’t promote
her business because she was afraid of meeting new people.
She says she always felt she was being judged on her physical
appearance rather than her ability.
She didn’t go out socially and, despite the support of her
husband Keith, and daughters Leeann and Susan, she sank
into depression.
“When I was that size, I was so depressed. I spent four
years being very unhappy and felt like it wasn’t worth living.
I didn’t want to do anything and I didn’t want to be seen. I
really was suicidal.”
Then Sheila was diagnosed with a thyroid problem and put
on medication. “That was the turning point. I realised that it
wasn’t hopeless and that I could lose weight. I managed to
lose about half a stone on my own but I needed the support of
a class.”
Sheila joined Slimming World and, as the weight began to
fall off, she felt her confidence grow. A few months later, she
received a phone call from her 30-year-old daughter, Susan.
Susan says: “I had got to the point where I didn’t want to go
clothes shopping because I was so big but I loved my food.
Then one night, I was getting ready to go out and none of my
clothes fitted me. That’s when I made the decision. I rang my
mam and told her I was coming to the class. She has been a
really big inspiration to me. I actually joined with a friend
but she was the one who showed me it was possible. It’s
definitely brought us closer together.”
Sheila has lost five-and-a-half stones and Susan has lost
four. Both women feel much happier, although they still have
more weight to lose before reaching their targets.
Sheila says: “It’s totally changed my life. I feel alive. I feel
as if life’s worth living again.”
● For more information, visit www.slimming-world.co.uk
BEFORE: Sheila in her pre-diet days
slimming
Lunches without
the lumpiness
WHAT we eat for lunch is very
much dictated by where we are.
Those who work in an office tend
to be at the mercy of whatever sandwich
bars and shops there are around –
unless, of course, you take a packed
lunch. The idea of a packed lunch may
take you back to schooldays but
remember this time you’re in control –
you choose whatever goes in it. All the
following sandwiches, stuffed pittas and
tortillas can be taken to work as packed
lunches, saving you time, money and
calories at lunchtime.
If you are still hungry after you have
eaten, have a piece of fruit. All the
following lunches serve one and are
under 350 calories.
Sandwiches
HAM, MUSTARD DRESSING AND SALAD
Mix ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard with one
tablespoon virtually fat free fromage frais,
Spread over two slices of thin wholemeal
bread and fill with three slices (24g/1oz)
ham, plenty of green salad and slices of fullflavoured
tomatoes
MOZZARELLA, PESTO AND FRESH BASIL
Spread two teaspoons of pesto over two thin
slices of wholemeal bread, add a layer
(around 30g/1oz) of sliced mozzarella light
(use a bread knife to slice it), top with baby
spinach leaves and sliced vine tomatoes and
squeeze over some fresh lemon juice.
TUNA AND SWEETCORN
Mix 100g (3½oz) can drained tuna in brine
with half a 195g (7oz) can sweetcorn kernels.
Mix in one tablespoon reduced fat mayo and
stuff into a 15cm (6in) wholemeal pitta bread
with plenty of rocket or strong salad leaf,
some sliced spring onions and red pepper.
RECIPE
HERB, CHILLI AND GARLIC SAUTEED
PRAWNS ON VEGETABLE SPAGHETTI
(serves 4)
3 carrots, peeled and trimmed
3 courgettes, trimmed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp olive oil
28-30 raw, large tiger prawns, shelled (leave
the tails on)
1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced
Juice and finely grated zest of one lemon
4 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
METHOD
Using a mandolin or a serrated vegetable
peeler, carefully cut the carrots and
courgettes into thin, long strands (to
resemble spaghetti). Bring a large pan of
lightly salted water to the boil and add the
vegetable strips. Cook for 2-3 minutes, drain
and keep warm.
Heat the oil in a large, non stick frying pan
and when hot add the prawns, chilli, garlic,
lemon zest and juice. Stir fry on a high heat
for 3-4 minutes or until the prawns turn pink
and are cooked through. Stir in the chopped
parsley, season and remove from the heat.
To serve, divide the warm, drained carrot and
courgette ‘spaghetti’ between four warmed
bowls or plates and top with the cooked
prawns. Spoon over any pan juices and serve
immediately.
From Slimming World Food with Faimly and
Friends (Ebury, £15.99)