Mary's story – a new lease of life
When I hit 50 years old, I was at my heaviest. I have two teenage daughters and I wanted to take responsibility for my weight because of them. I didn’t want to develop health conditions that could be avoided.
Limbo early days
I am CEO of PorterShed, a co-working space in Galway City. My job involves a lot of eating and drinking at a lot of events. It’s super fun and I love it but I have gradually put on weight. I found Limbo and it appealed as a grown up way of taking responsibility and ownership for your health, but still living your life.
Two weeks into Limbo and I became a little obsessed with checking the app. It was so interesting watching how different foods were triggering different blood sugar reactions. I was learning fast but also, I wasn’t hungry and I definitely had more energy. I went for a 5K walk and I hadn’t done anything like that for a long time.
Experimenting was amazing
By four weeks in, I was starting to experiment more with foods and preparation really kicked in. I still wasn’t feeling hungry and definitely didn't feel like I was missing out. It was zero stress. I wasn’t confined to a diet plan and I enjoyed the feedback from the app. I was also changing habits. I sat down with the family to watch a film and made myself a cup of black tea instead of eating biscuits. I started walking too wherever possible. I dropped the car off for a service and before, I would have made an excuse like I was carrying my laptop, and I would have booked a taxi. It was a ten minute walk.
Challenges and accomplishments
I decided to set myself a challenge to climb a big hill where I live called Knockma. I dreaded it so much that I had stopped going over there because I didn't want to meet people, be constantly out of breath or stop starting. It took me a couple of hours because I was slow but I then had a marker. I wanted to aim to do it comfortably.
After 106 days on Limbo, I was 17.2kg down. I was a guest at my nephew’s wedding. It was so interesting because at the buffet breakfast, I automatically went for the eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes. I didn't even go for the toast but I wasn't depriving myself. It was just an subconscious choice to choose the protein options.
A new lease of life
By 126 days on Limbo, I had lost 20.5kg. I also changed clothes size and it was so great to be able to pull out the smaller stuff from my wardrobe. I put a box together for the charity shop because I'm done with size 16 and up. Being able to walk into a store and pick up a dress in 15 minutes for 60 euros is a new high for me!
I'm still using Limbo, and still losing weight, which is terrific. This has been one of the best investments I've made because I've invested in me, my family and my life.
