I felt like my weight was holding me back in every aspect of my life, especially when it came to doing things with my children. I once chased my daughter, Imogen, up the stairs to bed and was so breathless I couldn’t speak properly to read her a bedtime story – it broke my heart.
I'd been overweight for most of my life and often turned to food for comfort. After I lost my mum, though, I started to really think about my health and my future. I wanted to be around for my kids and to be able to do all the normal things that mums do while they were still young. I decided to join Slimming World.
Going to group
I was so nervous walking into group for the first time. I needn't have been, though – everyone was so friendly and welcoming. They really understood how I was feeling, too. And in my first week I lost 9½lbs!
After years of following strict fad diets that left me feeling hungry, I couldn’t believe that I didn’t have to starve myself to lose weight.
My partner, Thomas, is a great cook and now we all enjoy the same healthy meals as a family. Salmon and wild rice and barbecue pulled pork are a couple of our favourites, and we still eat out regularly as well.
Since I've lost weight we've also become a more active family. We love going on long walks together. I’ve started jogging and I've even felt confident enough to put on a swimsuit and take my children swimming. Thomas loves my new figure and new-found confidence, too.
When I was setting my target weight, I told my Consultant that I was ‘never going to be one of those girls who’s a size 8’. Without missing a beat, she said, ‘Why not? If that’s what you want you can totally do it.’ And I did!
Every time I put on a size 8 I feel so proud of myself. I recently completed a Cancer Research Race for Life in memory of my mum and I think she’d be pretty proud of me, too.
*Weight loss will vary due to your individual circumstances and how much weight you have to lose.