‘I learnt to give my body what it needs’
For Natasha Martelly, 37, being overweight
felt like something that would never change. But when the right time came, she
re-educated her eating habits, and the effects have been lasting.
‘Half
a grapefruit with black coffee was a form of torture’
Where I was born, in Guyana, South America,
we eat rich, stodgy Caribbean food – and lots of it! I came to the UK aged two
and a half and grew up eating these traditional meals. But when I hit puberty,
I started to put on weight. The doctor said it was a concern, so my mum tried
to put me on a diet – at that time they were all very faddy, and half a
grapefruit with black coffee felt like a form of torture!
I now realize she was trying to look after
me, but at the time it felt like a personal attack, and I fought the change.
For years, I failed diet after diet, and all the different rules made me feel
anxious and overwhelmed. I didn’t know whether to eat for my blood type, eat
more protein, or eat only unrefined carbs. My weight spiralled out of control,
and at my heaviest, when I was in my 20s, I weighed over 16 stone, was a size
26 and bought my size 46 HH bras from a specialist shop.
I’ve
been at a healthy weight for over five years now, and I love having a waist
The turning point came 10 years ago, when
my mum was preparing to remarry and start a new life in America. She wanted to
slim down for her wedding day, and asked me to diet with her for moral support.
This time, because she wasn’t telling me to do it, but asking me for a favour,
I stuck to the new regime. I began losing weight and the designers kept having
to adjust the boning of my maid of honour’s dress! I used what I’d learnt from
reading hundreds of diet books over the years: Atkins taught me that protein
makes you feel full and WeightWatchers taught me portion control. Slowly, I
started winning the battle. I learnt to give my body what it needs, rather than
what my eyes and taste buds want.
I’ve been at a healthy weight for over five
years now, and I love having a waist – there’s no way I’d swap it for chocolate
fudge cake! I still eat traditional Guyanese food, but now I stop myself from
taking such huge portions because I know what will happen if I do. And I stick
to the diet rules from my books that actually work. Most importantly, I’ve
improved my life expectancy, my energy levels are higher than ever, and I wake
up feeling excited to take on the world.
