Coleen Nolan: 'I'm slim for good'

In the news

24 June 2008 15:12

After a lifetime of fad diets, Loose Women presenter Coleen Nolan, 43, has found the key to weight loss success

Tell us about your recent dieting success?
I’ve managed to lose three stone on the Rosemary Conley diet which, compared to some I’ve tried, has been a piece of cake. It’s all about portion size and fat control. I’ve never eaten better. Before, I’d snack all day – now, my husband cooks me low-fat meals.

Why do you think this diet has been more successful than some you’ve tried?
Because I don’t feel deprived of anything. It’s less like a diet, more like changing your attitude towards food. It also incorporates exercise, which I’ve never done before.

What was the incentive to make it work?
My wedding! I’d been looking at dresses and hated them all on me. The thought of feeling fat on the day depressed me. Instead, I lost weight and felt great.

Tell us about some of the more extreme diets you’ve tried before.
Lighter Life was probably the most extreme – four soups or shakes and four litres of water every day for 100 days. The first two weeks I was exhausted and irritable, snapping at everyone.

So have you undergone a real mindset change?
I’ll avoid faddy diets in future. They do the trick, but as soon as you start eating normal food the weight goes straight back. You’ve tortured yourself for  a couple of weeks of feeling great.

Any guilty pleasures?
Chocolate. I love Cadbury’s Dairy Milk or chocolate digestives.

Does getting older worry you?
No, because in my mind I still feel young. I’ve got a few more aches and pains but I put that down to exercising. Now I’m past 40, I celebrate having made it this far. I’m more confident and not as worried about what people think.

How do you stave off wrinkles?
I think I’ve been blessed with my mother’s genes. She had lovely skin, even though she didn’t really look after it. Even in her 80s, she wasn’t wrinkly. I use moisturiser but I don’t spend thousands on eternal youth elixirs.

Do you take any supplements?
I’ve just started taking omega 3 for my joints. Apparently it takes three months before you start to feel any effects, but subconsciously it already feels like something is happening.

Do you use any alternative treatments?
I’ve done reflexology a few times and find it relaxing. I don’t know if it works, but it feels fantastic. The occasional massage de-stresses me.

What have been your biggest health issues?
My back – the bane of my life since I was 13. I used to ride and fell off a lot, which I think caused a weakness. Now I’ve trapped a nerve, which is affecting my leg and I’ve got to start physio. Even when I played tennis when I was younger I’d be in pain with all the twisting, so I’m hoping to resolve it.

At what point in your life were you healthiest?
When I was young, out in the fresh air and didn’t smoke or drink. As an adult this is the healthiest I’ve ever been – I’ve lost the weight, given up smoking and don’t drink too much.

How often do you have a health check-up?
I never miss gynaecological tests every three years, but I don’t have all-over checks. I’m frightened they might find something and while I’m feeling all right, I’m not sure I want to know. Two of my sisters have had breast cancer, so I get checked regularly.

How do you dress to your advantage?
I know my good and bad points, but I don’t always get it right. I’ve seen photos and thought ‘What was I thinking?’. Now I’m slimmer, I have more choice so I enjoy dressing more than I used to.

What single thing would improve the quality of your health?
I’ve already done it – giving up smoking. It’s only been a few weeks and I’m less breathless. The downside is I can taste food much better!

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