Given that when we come home from our holidays, most of us expect to have put on a few pounds, how much weight would you expect to put on if you had gone to live somewhere as far away as Australia for a couple of years?  When you think about the more relaxed lifestyle and the different foods that you would come across, it wouldn't be surprising to find you had put on at least a few pounds.  That's exactly what Deirdre Kavanagh expected when she returned home from Australia. However, that's not what happened.
“When I came home, I was delighted to find I had actually lost weight,” remembers Deirdre, “However, as I settled down into normal life here and went back to my old eating habits, the pounds began to creep on.  There's nothing worse than pulling your wardrobe apart night after night and not being able to find something to wear.  I tried some faddy diets but they just left me feeling hungry. The Weight Watchers programme is so much easier to follow and it means I can include any food I like”.  
Eventually Deirdre decided to join her Mam, Marie, and sister Karen and go along to Anne Curran's Weight Watchers meeting in Carlow. “It's over a year since I got to goal weight and lost a total of 1st. 13 ½ lb / 12.4kg,” says Karen, “I was especially glad I'd lost the weight when I was choosing a dress for my wedding in May”.
From day one, Deirdre liked the Points plan. “I think the points are brilliant. Every evening I would take out my tracker and plan my meals for the next day, which meant I knew exactly where I was.  If I had points left over, I would keep them towards the weekend.  It really helped when I was tempted to have something I hadn't planned because it meant I knew I was overspending before I ever put the food in my mouth.”
Deirdre's food passions were bread, savoury foods like sausage rolls and crisps.  “I tackled all three of them different,” she tells us, “I switched to crisp breads instead of the bread, but only for a while.  Now I use soda bread, but I keep it for the weekends as a treat.”  How about the sausage rolls? “Well I couldn't find an alternative to them that I really liked, so I stopped eating them altogether.  It was hard at first, but it was a sacrifice worth making when I look in my wardrobe.”  Like her mam, Deirdre finds the Tayto Velvet Crunch are excellent. “The Velvet Crunch meant I could have the crisps without the points”.
“Eat Less & Move More” is very much the Weight Watchers ethos and Deirdre managed this by going walking with Karen. “We would meet up after work each evening and go for our walk.  It meant we could get our exercise, have a chat and all before going home in the evening”. 
Six months after reaching her goal, Deirdre had the wedding day of her dreams and headed off on honeymoon.  However this time when she returned from her travels, she found she had put on weight. “I went off on honeymoon and completely relaxed.  When we got home, I was really shocked when I went back to Anne and found I'd put on a good few pounds.”  Deirdre remembers how scary it was to have put on so much weight in just the couple of weeks.  “I went straight back onto the programme and within a few weeks I was back to goal weight.  Mind you, it taught me a valuable lesson: if you're not careful the pounds will pile on.”
Asked for a tip, Deirdre recommends that even if you have a bad week, make sure you go to your meeting.  “You might go into the meeting feeling downhearted but you'll come out feeling inspired for another week”.
Just like the rest of us, Deirdre continues to enjoy the compliments she regularly receives and finds that they too help keep her committed to staying at goal.
And what would Deirdre say to someone reading her story who dreams of having similar success?
“Just start.  If it's in your mind to do it, then start and make sure you do it for yourself. The Weight Watchers plan is so easy to follow that losing weight genuinely isn't some impossible dream.  Yes, you will need to make changes and that can be a bit of a challenge at times but when the weight goes down and the self-confidence goes up everything just feels fantastic.”
Since becoming a Life Gold member Deirdre has become a Weight Watchers leader and now runs classes in:
Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny- The Community Centre, Monday 6.15pm
Kilcullen, Co. Kildare- The Community Centre, Thursday 6.45pm