Claudia: Does her diet story have a happy ending?
You've been dieting for many years now. Tell us a bit about how it all started for you.
"My dieting story has been going on for many years now. In the past, I've lost weight on and off, then gained it back. Lost weight. Gained weight. I think many people are familiar with this yo-yo effect. In 2012, I'd finally had enough. At that point, I was really overweight, and I knew something had to change. By changing my diet, I lost 50 kilos*."
One factor Claudia emphasizes is that she learned she has a lactose intolerance. She then eliminated dairy products from her diet. While it hasn't been scientifically proven that lactose intolerance inhibits fat loss, many sufferers report that they only started to lose weight effectively after switching to a low-lactose diet.
And that was the happy ending to your 'diet story'?
"No, that was far from the end."
My weight was yo-yoing again. History repeated itself. I gained and lost weight. Gained and lost. Gained and lost. At first, it was only a few kilos, but for the last two years, my scale has been going up rather than down. I never went back to my starting weight, but there was this constant fear that one day I'd end up over 50 kilos again. That took a toll on me mentally.
I think you're not alone in this fear. The yo-yo effect affects many people. What did you do to feel better now?
“I decided for myself not to give up and to find a way that works for me. Over the past few years – and all the different diets – I realized how important it is that I find something that suits me, my everyday life, my tastes and my body. And then I stumbled across SHEKO by chance and thought to myself: ‘I’ll give that a try now’.”