The beginning

Back in February, I looked at myself in the mirror and I definitely WAS NOT happy with the reflection I saw staring back at me... Where was my waist? Why was my skin SO BAD? Where had my confidence gone? I've always struggled with my weight, I've never been a slim girl growing up and until now I was pretty ok with that but suddenly... It felt different being big.

I had tried to sort my weight out in the past, with relative success: back in 2011 I joined weight watchers. I was in my 2nd year of Uni and fending for myself so I thought it would be easy and it was! At first. Once I'd lost 1 1/2 stone (21 lbs) I hit a plateau - I'd lost so much, but where were the results? I still looked overweight, and I still was. I was rapidly losing motivation when Christmas hit and I was derailed for good.

Fast forward to February of this year, and I'm writing my third year dissertation, I'm living on chocolate, crisps and takeaway. When I go home, we eat out usually and I'm piling on the pounds. When I realise this, I look at myself and know that things have to change. My boyfriend reassures me that he loves me, whatever my size, but I know that if I don't start making changes now I'll be graduating in a tent, not a gown.

I think about trying weight watchers again, it worked the first time, but I remember how restrictive I felt the points system was - I was never full. My housemate has recently joined slimming world and I'm seeing how much she's eating - bacon, eggs, toast, rice, potatoes... All those things banned on other diets. I ask her what its all about and she shows me her book, it truly is life changing. Suddenly I'm thinking, "Yes, I could do this, why not?" I look at the slimming world website and find a group near home, they meet on a Tuesday which is just perfect for me, and with that, I take the plunge...

My first meeting was, in equal parts, scary and exhilarating. My consultant, Helen, is wonderful. She's so friendly, and she's followed the plan herself. I'm allowed to sit in on a group meeting before committing and I'm made to feel right at home, and so I pay my money and get weighed. I could've cried the moment I stepped on those scales, at 5'10" and 21 years old, I was tipping the scales as 14 stone 10 lbs (206 lbs). I was mortified. I'd never, EVER been this heavy in my life and it scared me to think what I would have weighed if I hadn't taken that first step and changed my eating habits for good.