Facing the gym mirrors

I’ve never been a very sporty person. I didn’t have the motivation to run on a treadmill or lift weights, so I signed myself up for a Body Combat class. With my unwashed hair pulled back, and wearing some grey, baggy (easily 10 years old) jogging bottoms and a faded Mickey Mouse t-shirt I’d found at the bottom of my drawer, I set off for the gym.

If I’d felt bad about how I looked before, it couldn’t get much worse than this. I was lined up in front of a huge full-length mirror next to lots of beautifully slim women in colour-coordinated Reebok outfits. I stuck it out though, and I did feel amazing afterwards (despite being achey for days!).

I was doing quite well with cutting back on unhealthy foods too - most of the time. I’m definitely no angel when it comes to eating and I must admit that a few chocolates and the odd slice of pizza did pass my lips! But generally, I was making better choices about what I ate.

My sister let me try some Cho Yung Tea and it worked straight away to stem my milky coffee addiction! I liked the taste (it’s not bitter like other green teas) so it made me feel that losing weight wasn’t all about doing without. It also helps to boost metabolism, and therefore burn more calories, which was a big bonus if I could get away with going to the gym less!

Dieting and Christmas don’t mix

OK, so I didn’t start my diet or go to the gym the very next day as I’d promised. It was the beginning of December, which has to be the worst time of year to try losing weight! Especially as roast dinners, nuts and red wine are some of my biggest weaknesses.

So I decided to just get through Christmas and all its indulgences without beating myself up about it. It was a classic case of “I’m starting a diet tomorrow so I’d better eat all of the chocolate biscuits to get rid of them!” By the time January 2 came around, I felt even worse about myself than I had before.

That's me on the right (with the double chin!)...

I must say though, it was much easier to turn my mind to losing weight in February when half the country was thinking the same thing. It was at this point that I did finally join a gym (for the first time in my life!).

Like a lot of New Year’s resolutions, I knew that after a few well-intentioned weeks there was a chance this one might go out the window with all the others. So I decided to set myself realistic expectations. As a mum of two young boys, going to the gym twice a week was as much as I could manage.

Also, instead of imposing a strict diet of lettuce leaves and carrot sticks on myself that wouldn’t last, I decided to make lots of small changes. I stopped picking at my children’s leftovers (finally admitting to myself that the calories did count even if they weren’t on my plate!). 

I started having ‘open’ sandwiches for lunch with just one slice of bread and I cut down on dairy products. Having been on lots of crash diets before and failing, I knew it was pointless trying to starve myself.

The moment I knew I had to lose weight

This picture was taken at my eldest son’s third birthday party in 2007. I’m wearing a Power Rangers outfit standing next to my identical twin sister. Even with the black plastic visors covering our eyes, it’s easy to tell us apart. I’m the fat one.

I cried when I first looked at this photograph. I was always thin when I was younger, but since having children I'd put on two and a half stone. At this point I weighed nearly 12 stone (I’m 5’8) and was a dress size 14. I know that's not huge, but I felt uncomfortable with how I looked. I suppose that by focussing on being a mum, I'd let myself go.

I usually bought baggy clothes from online shops to hide my figure and never went out with my friends like I used to. My confidence was at an all-time low and I didn’t want to be seen as the ‘token fat friend.’ Seeing myself next to my beautifully slim sister (who isn’t a mum yet) in thigh-skimming skinny jeans while I was hiding in a green tent, made me realise I had to do something about it.

I knew I had to change my lifestyle. I vowed to begin a healthy diet and start going to the gym the very next day. I'm sure many of you will agree that it's quite a big change to force on yourself all at once! When I spoke to my sister about it, she recommended I also try drinking Cho Yung Tea. She said it had helped one of her friends to lose weight, so I thought it was at least worth giving a go.