Category: Lbs 4 £s

Lockdown left Natalie Catterall slightly overweight but she has found the recipe to get back into shape.

Natalie has joined Lbs 4 £s, a three-month fitness, weight loss and well-being programme run by East Cheshire Hospice.

The health initiative starts on Friday, January 1, so participants can start shedding the extra pounds from the festive season once they have celebrated New Year.

The sessions are online and on demand which means dieters can be flexible when they take part in classes and talks on topics such as nutrition and yoga.

Natalie took part 12 months ago, losing two and a half stones after giving up chocolate, crisps, biscuits and cakes and raised £570 through sponsorship for the Hospice.

She said: “I’d recommend the programme which is going to be even bigger and better this time. I’m doing it again because I put a stone back on because of Covid and general laziness.

“I wasn’t able to go to the gym and worked from home which was a novelty at first but then became tedious and isolating. Trips downstairs for a coffee and biscuits became too frequent.

“I found myself overeating so this health programme gives me a focus and I want to get fit again.”

Returning to the office at Northwich-based charity Cheshire Autism Practical Support has already helped her.

She said: “I wasn’t as agile as I should have been sat at a desk at home and became static and stagnant, but I walk a mile each lunch break with my office colleagues which motivates us.”

Natalie is from Macclesfield where her father David lives. Her mum Hilary Woolliscroft, who died in 2017, was a Hospice patient. Hilary was a primary school swimming teacher and Macclesfield Town fan.

Bethan Wade, Challenge Events Co-ordinator at the Hospice, said: “Walking into a gym scares some people but Lbs 4 £s will have an exclusive online portal for participants, giving them the flexibility to attend classes and talks when it suits them.

“They’ll receive  an information pack including special tips, recipes and vouches, plus access to one-to-one  sessions with nutrition, well-being and fitness experts. There’s free gym opportunities and help on sponsorship.

“This is a self-motivated programme but we want to provide the information needed to pull it off, surrounded by a group of like-minded people  looking to achieve the same thing.”

Places are limited. To sign up visit eastcheshirehospice.org.uk/events/lbs4pounds/

Natalie Catterall and her late mum Hilary.

Banana and blueberry Belgian waffles – just one of the tasty treats served up during an East Cheshire Hospice health drive.

Sharing recipes, weight loss tips and new walking routes were all part of Lbs 4 £s, the Hospice’s 12-week fitness programme.

The initiative has raised £2,055 so far with the waffles earning Emma Machin the award for the tastiest looking breakfast.

Natalie Catterall raised £570 and shed almost two and a half stones after giving up chocolate, crisps, biscuits and cakes.

Natalie, whose late mum Hilary Woolliscroft was a Hospice patient, was not even tempted by a tipple of her favourite G and T.

Natalie Catterall and her late mum Hilary.

Natalie, a school business manager, said: “Dieting wasn’t easy but I didn’t veer from it and the fact I was raising money for the Hospice kept me on the straight and narrow.

“I had made the commitment and didn’t cheat and our group really enjoyed sharing experiences and tips via Facebook.

“I would get out of breath going up the stairs, but feel so much better now. It’s given me confidence to go to the gym and I might run a half marathon next year. I’ve completed a garden project with a lot of manual labour and couldn’t have done that before.”

Karen Hodkinson won the award for the most social media posts about her journey.

Hospice Events Assistant Bethan Wade said: “The aim was to lose weight, eat more healthily, improve fitness and well-being, or simply support the Hospice and everyone supported each other.”