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The journey from obesity to fitness addict: How Scotland鈥檚 Chief Nursing Officer changed her life in just a few months

10 October 2017

Professor Fiona McQueen is Scotland's Chief Nursing Officer.

Despite holding the most senior nursing role in the country, when it came to diet and exercise Fiona said, ‘I found myself expecting other people to do things I wouldn’t do myself’.

Last year she decided that this had to stop and she vowed to change her lifestyle permanently.

The effects have been dramatic to see – she has lost seven stones in weight.

She told that her relationship with food is now completely different.

‘I would have eyed up all sorts of cakes and pastries. Now I rarely give them a second thought.’

There has also been a remarkable turnaround in her attitude towards exercise.

‘There was a bit of discomfort, getting over that first hurdle of doing it. That whole thing, I can't really bear going out to walk or I can't be bothered going to that class.’

‘[But now] has got to 'oh goodness I don't have time to go'! The discomfort comes if I can't increase my physical activity.’

Fiona McQueen, Chief Nursing Officer for Scotland

Fiona McQueen on deciding to set a better example by losing weight and getting fit.

So what are the key changes Fiona made?

Walking more: I bought a fitness monitor where I monitor my steps and for me that's worked really well. I have a target of 15,000 a day and I'm disappointed if I don't reach that.
Exercise classes: I also enjoy, which surprised me as I'm a big introvert, going to a class at a gym. Yes, there are people who are super fit and in lycra and look amazing. But there are loads of people like me who just want to be the best they can be.
Eating real food: A lot of ready meals used to come into my house. I stopped buying them and started eating real food that was wholesome and nutritous. I also made a decision for myself to eat whole yoghurt and butter.
Cutting out sugar: I was very conscious about not eating refined foods that would shoot my insulin up. That would be sugar and foods that contained sugar or refined carbohydrates. For me, once I started to eat sugar, wanting more was a natural response.