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.