Going From 92 To 61kg: How She Reached Her Weight Goal With Help Of A Friend Turned Coach
Unlike many weight management solutions that focus on just shedding the kilos, Optavia’s programme takes a community approach to achieving long-term health goals, as these success stories show
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One of the biggest challenges of transforming your eating and wellness routine – and not falling back into old habits – is having to go at it alone. But partnering up with a buddy can be a great motivator, especially when the going gets tough.
Just ask Linda Kong and Nancy Ng, both in their 50s, who credit the support of a coach and community as crucial ingredients to helping them successfully manage their weight.
“I was losing control very badly, and the consequences would be even worse if I didn't do something about it,” says Linda.
A combination of yo-yo dieting, a sedentary lifestyle and emotional eating caused Linda’s weight to increase to 92kg over the years.
Linda (right) with her Optavia Coach, Karen, at the start of Linda’s health transformation journey. Credit: Linda Kong
In 2020, she finally decided to regain control of her health and embarked on Optavia’s Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan®, after being introduced to it by her university friend-turned-Optavia Coach, Karen De Silva Ross.
“I'm so glad that Karen is my coach,” says Linda. “She never gave up on trying to give me the gift of getting my health back and has been my pillar of support on this journey.”
Optavia’s clinically proven plans* and products, such as the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan, are health and weight management solutions that take a comprehensive approach to wellness.
Backed by more than 40 years of experience, the US company focuses on helping people nurture healthy eating and lifestyle habits, including one-on-one coaching and a built-in community to help sustainably transform your health and life.
Although Linda was worried that the programme would be challenging, she found it a breeze thanks to its flexibility and the range of healthy food options available.
“The plan was simple and easy to follow, and not restrictive like other fad diets, so I never felt deprived of food,” she says.
Under the plan, Linda learned to make Lean & Green™ meals that comprise 140 to 200 grams of cooked lean protein, three servings of non-starchy vegetables and up to two servings of healthy fats, such as the Fried Mee Siam pictured above.
For Linda, the game changer was the Habits of Health™ Transformational System created by US critical care physician, Optavia cofounder and independent Optavia Coach Dr Wayne Scott Andersen, which teaches participants to cultivate healthy habits across all areas of their lives. Through this, she learned how to manage her emotions, which helped her curb her stress eating.
She also began incorporating more activity into her daily routine, such as aiming to take 10,000 steps each day, and no longer experiences the knee pain she used to have. And she’s developed better sleeping habits too, such as forgoing overnight Korean drama marathons in favour of going to bed by 11pm.
Throughout her entire journey, Karen was a source of support, motivation and guidance as she provided Linda with real-time encouragement – and it helped that, like most Optavia Coaches, Karen had previously experienced the programme herself.
Linda also found an amazing community in Optavia’s other clients whom she met through regular meetings and via the programme’s Facebook community groups.
“You can share victories and problems together, and everyone will encourage you,” she says.
On top of losing 31kg** in seven months, which brought her weight down to 61kg (see recent photo of Linda above), Optavia has enabled Linda to make long-lasting changes and view her wellness in a new light.
“When I started, all I wanted was to lose some weight and walk without pain,” she says. “But I’ve gained so much more – I’ve taken control of my health and life.”
Before embarking on Optavia’s Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan, Nancy considered herself to be somewhat of a “diet guru,” having tried multiple weight loss programmes over the years – but to no avail.
In 2019, she decided to sign up with Optavia and, despite her initial scepticism, lost over 3kg** in the first month alone. After four and a half months on the programme, she shed a total of almost 10kg**, bringing her weight down from around 60kg to under 50kg.
The programme’s flexibility was a huge draw, and Nancy found it easy to incorporate it into her everyday life. Under the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan, Nancy consumed six small meals per day, which allowed her body to enter a gentle fat-burning state while still obtaining the daily nutrition she needed.
This consisted of five delicious servings of Optavia Fuelings – pre-made, portion-controlled meals including the likes of shakes, soups and hearty options – and one Lean & Green meal that she learned how to prepare herself with the help of comprehensive resources.
Thanks to this, Nancy could follow her diet plan without giving up socialising with her friends or feeling anxious about figuring out what to eat.
Through the Habits of Health Transformational System, Nancy honed healthy habits such as drinking at least two litres of water a day, eating breakfast more regularly and reading food labels in order to make smarter choices.
About 18 weeks after starting her Optavia journey, she lost almost 10kg** (see photo above).
Nancy felt constantly reassured by the support from her coach and the connections she made with fellow members within the Optavia community.
Ever since embarking on her journey with Optavia, Nancy has become more aware of her body and understands it better, and feels lighter and healthier than ever before.
“My body is stronger and more resilient,” she declares. “I feel more confident about my health, would travel with my friends everywhere and am more courageous to try new things.”
With Optavia, you can not only manage your weight but also nurture long-term healthy habits, approach your wellness from a new perspective and transform your life holistically.
“Previously, I exercised occasionally and reluctantly, because it was something you did to try and be healthy. But at my weight and with my health conditions, this wasn't done with much enthusiasm,” Linda adds. “Now, I look forward to my weekly bike trips, because I have so much energy and am having so much fun exploring.”
For more information about Optavia Singapore, visit their website and Facebook page.
*https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/osp4.312
**Average weight loss on the Optimal Weight 5 & 1 Plan is 12 pounds (5.4kg). Clients are in weight loss, on average, for 12 weeks.
Inspired by the success of these two women and want to learn more about the Optavia programme and how it can help you in your own journey to optimal health?
Optavia is hosting an event, “Singapore Optavia Community Together”, on December 8 and 9, 2022 (6:30 to 8:30pm).
At the sessions, discover how Optavia can help you on your health journey; meet and learn from independent Optavia Coaches and Clients and find out about their personal stories; and sample popular Optavia Fuelings.
Specially for
Women's Weekly Readers
Simply register here (for Dec 8) and here (for Dec 9). The first 20 registered attendees will receive an exclusive Optavia door gift.