Workdays and Weekends: Gill Sievwright

Our #WorkdaysAndWeekends this week is Gill Sievwright, a woman of many talents! By day she's an Insurance Accountant and by night (and weekends) fullfills her passion in life; helping others to lead a healtheir lifestyle as a Weight Watchers coach and mentor to her members.

Her own weight loss journey began two years ago and saw her reach her goal weight using the programme, after plenty of false starts and extreme diets. Having been through it herself there's not much she hasn't seen before; supporting and inspiring others to make healthier choices and become more active gives her so much joy. 

What does a typical day at work look like for you?

During the week I'm up early, as my Husband is Head Green Keeper at King James VI Golf Club so early starts have become the norm. I keep to normal office hours in my day job and on a Weight Watchers evening will have a quick turnaround before rushing back out the door.

I couldn’t do my job without my meeting room team as they support me and also our members. They help promote and provide a listening ear to many a member. I'm there to support every one of my members during their weight loss journey, whether someone wants to lose a few lbs or a considerable amount.

The support we all give each other is so important, and first and foremost I'm still a member at heart. Each meeting is different but there really is some magic in the room when members discuss their weight loss success and how living more healthily is changing them for the better-it's not all about the scales!

What signals the start of your weekend / days off?

Mine are intermingled, however on a Saturday morning I'm up early for two meetings. The weekend meetings are always pretty laid back and chilled, most people are off and have left the stresses of the week behind them.

In the afternoon I normally catch up with my sisters for a fun filled lunch and maybe some shopping. Saturday night and Sunday during the day is time to spend doing things with my husband and then on Sunday night I prepare for my Weight Watchers week.

I don’t have what others may call down time as I like being on the go. When I was overweight I lived a very different life and was almost super glued to my couch when I wasn’t at my day job. Now I have bags more energy and like to put it to good use!

What makes for a perfect night in?

A perfect Saturday night in, which at the moment are few and far between, is a night in with my husband, James, watching a good film with a nice glass of wine. Unless Ant and Dec are on the TV on a Saturday night and then I’ll watch them as they always make me laugh.

What makes for a memorable day or night out?

Gosh I love days out with friends and my husband. However I love time with my Sisters and all my family.  My Sisters and I can go for lunch and before we know it four hours have passed and we will have laughed at life until our sides hurt-sometimes you need that.

Tell us about the weekend you’d love to live again?

I’d love to have time back with my parents, which sadly isn't possible. The weekend I would love to re-live is a family wedding we were at in July where we stayed at the Old Manor Hotel near Leven that looked over Lundin Links Golf Course and the Forth Estuary.

The wedding was at Pratis Barns nearby; a beautiful venue where you can add your own personal touches. The ceremony of my nephew Mark and his bride Kim was just magical from start to finish, and the company, fun and laughter we had all weekend makes we want to relive it over it again! Apart from the wonderful wedding it was so special to see my two young nieces playing with my great nieces and nephews also. Just special moments. 

Time with all of my family is the precious. I'm the youngest of five and time with all my family and their families too is few & far between in the busy lives we all live. 

And now your best ever day at work?  

At Weight Watchers every day is a best day. I get to meet wonderful, inspiring people everyday. Seeing people change and unwrapping into healthier versions of themselves is wonderful. I love celebrating with their goals; every milestone whether losing 5, 10 or 20% of their body weight, gaining certificates from a stone right up to 250lbs gone, seeing members bring in their old jeans which hang off them, hearing that members have pushed themselves to the limits running 5ks, 10ks and even a few marathons are all things they’d never have done before.

Those are the reasons I do this job as it empowers others to make healthy changes and at Weight Watchers we still have fun while living healthily it really is about balance.

Since working for Weight Watchers I’ve got to do some amazing things myself (like this interview!) along with articles in Woman Magazine and being photographed with a three page article in Weight Watchers magazine.

I’m only 4ft 11ins and nothing special so I’ve never expected anything like this to happen. If you’d told the 'old me' when super-glued to my couch I would never have believed what's happened these last few years!

Any workday or weekend rituals?

Not really I am the least OCD person you can meet. I work in all aspects of my life in my own organised chaotic state! 

What’s in the perfect day off breakfast?

Either porridge with berries and a teeny smidge of Perthshire honey or bacon medallions with poached eggs, mushrooms, spinach and tomato.

Any words of wisdom for us?

Always believe you can achieve anything. For many years I didn’t live my life to the full. I thought I’d always have no energy and I’d always feel a bit flat...then I changed and now I believe I can achieve anything I set my sights on.

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If you're feeling inspired to join up to a Weight Watchers class you can find your nearest one online here> or contact Gill on gsievwright@weight-watchers.co.uk.