70 kilos less: "I did not dare to show myself to others"

Madeleine Wittke is 25 years old and was once heavily overweight. In May 2014, the woman from Hamburg began a diet with Weight Watchers? and has since lost about 70 pounds. It started with a proud initial weight of exactly 151.6 kilograms and weighs today between 80 and 82 kilos. The last 10 kilos should be down this year. She told us how she succeeded and how she got the motivation to persevere.

ChroniquesDuVasteMonde.com: What was the trigger for the diet for you?

MADELINE WITTKE: That was when I realized that at the age of 22 I could not live the life one likes to lead at this age: celebrate, shop with friends, go to the cinema. Because of my strong overweight that was simply not possible for me. I did not dare show myself to other people and go out sometimes. That's where I first had the problem: What do I even put on? At the end, it all looks stupid. I was shopping sometimes, but no normal business had my clothing size. In the end, it was something between 54 and 58. So there was usually a scarf, a cloth or a bag - how depressing!

Why did you choose Weight Watchers?

I've heard a lot about Weight Watchers and have been told by many that they lost a few pounds. But I was not sure if the program was suitable for me with my strong overweight. Since I had nothing to lose, I just started one day. I thought it was good that I basically could eat everything. In moderation, but I did not have to forbid me anything. I can also eat chocolate or chips and still lose weight. All I have to do is make sure that everything fits in the scorecard.

Were there moments when you wanted to quit?

Oh yes, they were many! At the time I did not hear of any success stories where someone had lost more than 25 kilos. Of course, I also wondered if I could ever do that. In the beginning it was super with the program, I was motivated and lost the first 20 kilos relatively easily. After that came but then sometime the first birthdays, Christmas and other festivals - there you have to plan very well! There were sometimes moments when I wanted to give up and treat myself to the fat piece of cream pie. Very bad for me were the weeks in which I moved 100 percent in the program, so I have kept my points exactly, and after a week still had not decreased. Sometimes it was even 100 to 200 grams more! In these moments, I got out an old pants to motivate me and continue. And then the weight went down slowly.

What did you change about your diet?

I used to shovel everything into what I wanted. Chips, chocolate, pasta with cream sauce. These are the typical "fat-makers". Today I have found alternatives and replace fatty foods with less fatty ones, e.g. low-fat milk instead of milk with 3.8% fat. I plan my day in advance and eat what I wrote down.

A typical day looks like this: Morning quark with muesli or oatmeal and fruit. For lunch mostly a colorful salad or I cook a vegetable pan with lean meat and pasta. In the evening there is bread or quark, from time to time I also cook in the evening. In between, I eat cereal bars, rice waffles or home-baked muffins. Otherwise, I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables, that's nice for a long time full. Occasionally there is a pizza, which I deliberately plan. Or I slim down the pizza and take a wrap instead of yeast dough and cover it with vegetables.

How important is exercise when losing weight?

At the beginning, I did not do any sports because I was overweight at over 150 kilos. In retrospect, however, I can say that sport is an important part of healthy weight loss in the long term. It does not really matter what you do - the main thing is to stay tuned and have fun! I started with long walks. I still cycled. Meanwhile, I go to the gym and do various exercises to help you lose weight and to tone the body and skin.

How has your environment reacted to your customer success?

My environment is so excited. Many still can not believe what I've done. And sometimes I can not quite believe it myself. I am constantly being told how much more open and self-confident I have become. Some friends have also started a diet in my example. I love to motivate others with my story.