Celebrating the festive season in style

I managed to maintain my balanced lifestyle (and my optimum weight) right up until Christmas. I wasn’t at all strict on myself about my diet because the festive season is a time for cheer! Although I think my new-found confidence did inspire me not to binge or over eat.

I was finally myself again – but maybe an even better, more confident version. I spent New Year’s Eve at a fancy dress party. My friend Tracy and I found these great, sexy FBI costumes online. My outfit was a black cat-suit with bum-skimming shorts!

I wore false eyelashes and high wedge boots, which Tracy said made my legs look really long. It was a size ‘Small’ and I felt so proud to be wearing it that I never wanted to take it off. I would have worn it out everywhere if I could!

The festive season is definitely the hardest time to stick to a healthy, balanced diet. There is just so much temptation around everywhere – I think in Britain we have a feast and famine mentality. I’m not human and sometimes over the Christmas season I did eat too much like everyone else. On days like this I would always drink an extra cup of Cho Yung Tea the next morning to cleanse my body.
 
I had great fun that Christmas, feeling in control of what I ate and proud of my body shape. Cho Yung Tea just gave me that extra boost in keeping this balance during the party season.

Skinny doesn’t equal happy

It took a few lapses in weight (in both directions) to realize that my optimum weight is 9st. This is when I feel my healthiest and this was the size I decided to stay. I had realized that a healthy lifestyle for me was all about balance so it was just a case of maintaining this balance to stay at my optimum weight.

Summer 2009 was a really good time for me. I was 9st and knew what to do to stay there. I just ate healthily and didn’t deny my body when I wanted something. I don’t believe in ignoring your body’s needs. For me this really stopped me bingeing on my favourite foods later.

The peak of my happiness that summer, with my self and my body, was when I went to V Festival with my twin sister. Manoosh had bought me the tickets and it was really the best present she could have given me. It was great just to get away from it all and enjoy ourselves.

I never would have done something like go to a festival before. Losing weight boosted my confidence so much. At V I didn’t have any phone signal and couldn’t contact my children. At first I felt bad but my family looked after them to give me peace of mind. It was so important for me to focus on myself for once.

I’m so confident with my body now. I think it looks better than before I had kids. My whole body shape has changed from a pear to more athletic and I actually like my bum. I love this picture of me at V because I just look so happy and healthy. My hair is shiny, my skin is clear, I’m happy with my body and it shows.

Fitting into a 'Kylie' dress

There was a point when I knew I’d got too thin. It wasn’t so much to do with how I felt but what other people like my friends and family said to me.

For my 34th birthday I went out partying with my girlfriends and was feeling on top of the world. My twin sister Manoosh had lent me her special ‘Kylie Dress’. We call it that because it’s drapey and backless like the ones Kylie wore in her 90s comeback period. It’s black and really sexy and I felt a million dollars.



I would never have worn a dress like that before but I loved feeling special and the centre of attention. It was my birthday after all! 

I was really surprised when afterwards one of my best friends said she thought I was looking a bit gaunt. I looked back at some of the photos from that night and realized she was right. I did look a bit too thin, especially in the face and I weighed myself and realized I was 8st 10.

I’d already worked out that my optimum weight is 9st so I knew I had to relax a bit to get back to my healthiest size. And it was definitely easier to put weight back on than to lose it! 

I relaxed about my diet and tried to minimize the stresses in my life which was easier said than done. Sure enough the weight crept back on but I didn’t stop drinking Cho Yung tea because it always keeps my skin clear and glowing. It didn’t take long but putting on those few pounds really made a difference. I was looking myself again.

Losing too much weight

I came to know that my optimum weight, when I look and feel my best, is 9 stone. I’m 5'8 but a quite athletic build and this is the healthiest weight for me.

There came a point though when I realized I’d gone too far the other way. It was strange because it’s one of those things you don’t really notice yourself. I was still a Size 8, which is my normal size, so it took me a while to realise. When my friends and family started saying I looked ill I noticed that I’d lost a lot of weight in my face and looked really drawn.

I was not actively trying to lose weight at all but I was really stressed. I think this was the main reason my weight plummeted and I felt really low in myself. Also, I felt the actual physical effects because my immune system was weak making me ill easily. I’m quite prone to alopecia (hair loss) and this came back in a big way. I thought I looked like Friar Tuck!

Being underweight affected my confidence almost as badly as being overweight. People don’t mention if you’ve put on weight out of politeness but they don’t hesitate to mention if you look too thin. I remember going to my Aunt’s for lunch and she would make me two sandwiches rather than one without asking. 

I was at a loss because I wasn’t trying to lose weight or eating any less. I knew that I wasn't at my healthiest weight but wasn't sure what to do about it. Up until now all my attention has been on losing weight not putting it on.

Enjoying life on holiday in Alicante

There really is no great secret to my weight loss. I eat quite healthily and go to the gym twice a week but for me it’s all about balance. I don’t believe in crash diets because I think your body has a way of telling you the things you need. 

I also can’t do without proper meals to keep my energy up. Drinking two cups of Cho Yung Tea a day really helped me maintain a healthy lifestyle and speed up my metabolism to burn calories.

I was excited to be going on holiday to Alicante with my husband and one of my best friends in the summer of 2008. I was at a really healthy weight and feeling confident. My style had definitely changed by this point. I swapped the shapeless smock tops, for skinny jeans and figure-hugging tops, which were so much more flattering.

Before I lost weight I dreaded wearing a bikini on the beach. Especially because my friend is naturally really slim and I would have felt massive stood next to her. But this time I bought a stripey triangle bikini, that my husband nicknamed my ‘Bond Girl Bikini’(which I secretly loved!).

I really hate this picture but just so you can see the change, this is me before...!

On the holiday, my friend even said she thought I was skinnier than her. But I didn’t mind either way. I was so confident in my own skin that I didn’t feel the need to compare myself. It meant we just relaxed and enjoyed the sun, sea and sand. I sneaked a couple of packs of Cho Yung Tea into my suitcase, as it’s such an easy way to detox.

I had a great time on holiday in Alicante. I was at my optimum weight for my height and body shape. The best thing was I had worked out that moderation was the way to maintain my healthiest weight. 

So I didn’t overeat but I also didn’t deny myself treats or a glass or two of wine. If you can’t enjoy life on holiday, then when can you?!

From party animal to avoiding mirrors

When I was in my twenties, I was a real party animal. I was always out with my friends on a Saturday night and I loved fashion.  

But when I had my two children, I started caring less about the way I looked. I would go for days without even looking in the mirror! As extra pounds began piling on, I just wore baggier clothes to hide my figure.

(Sorry this picture is a bit blurry but I don't have many of me when I was bigger!)

Instead of shopping in the High Street, I started ordering clothes online from Ebay (and only if I was desperate!). I didn’t want to admit I had gone up from being a size 8-10 to a size 14 so I put off buying new clothes. I was so embarrassed when I did buy something, I’d cut out all the labels.

My friends were always nagging me that I never went out any more. But I hated the idea of being the token ‘fat friend’ tagging along. They didn’t see me like that, but my confidence was at rock bottom. I was always making excuses about why I couldn’t go out.

Once I made the decision to lose weight, my friends were a bit more honest about how I’d changed.  I remember one saying “You used to spend a fortune on clothes and I’d always be jealous of what you wore.” She reminded me of a holiday we’d been on where I’d hung up all my outfits for the week complete with matching underwear!

We had a good laugh about it but I felt sad that I’d lost all my confidence and sexiness. My friend’s comments made me even more determined to do something about it.