Start Weight: 15 StoneCurrent Weight: 11½ Stone I have spent all of my adult life fat- not big boned, not tall, just fat! When I used to go out on the town with my friends, all single and up for a laugh, I would always start the night by complaining about how fat I was. I heard all the clichés “you are not fat, you are tall and you can carry it off” and “but you are pretty, nobody notices your size”. But no matter how unhappy I was with my weight, and no matter how much money I ploughed into Weight Watchers, I would always lose a stone to then gain a stone and a half a few months later.

I was the classic yo-yo dieter, starving myself of food when I was on a diet, but not batting an eyelid at the amount of alcohol I consumed over the weekend. When I wasn’t on a diet I gave no consideration to what I ate. Exercise for me was a big No No, I occasionally went for a swim, but would never step foot in a gym – after all they are full of fit, slim people, aren’t they?! In 2004, my friend and drinking partner emigrated to Australia. I was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (ms) and my life changed. With the help of Louise, I adopted a different attitude to food and alcohol. Louise educated me in good and bad foods and stopped me thinking the only way to lose weight was to diet. I was taught to do a lifestyle change and adopt different eating habits for life and not just a few months. Louise convinced me to join a gym in January 2006. Due to the ms, there were certain restrictions on the level of exercise I could do initially, but with determination and perseverance I am now at a fitness level of any ‘normal’ person. I have been following my new lifestyle of diet and exercise, and I have gone to 15stone to 11½ stone. Or in other words from a size 18 to a size 12. My general health has improved dramatically, and the increased muscle strength as a result of exercise has had a positive impact on the ms. At my last appointment with my neurologist, he said that my weight loss and regular exercise has directly contributed to me still walking without the use of aids. Without a doubt I would not have been able to do this on my own. I needed educating in food and exercise and Louise showed me the way.