I was a self-confessed comfort eater. I felt happy eating my favourite naughty foods. The big problem, apart from my size, was that I’d feel depressed once I had eaten everything on the table. It was a cycle I couldn’t shake off.

The turning point happened in Greece while away with the lads. I was sitting on the beach, it was 30 degrees and I was wearing a T-shirt. My friends had their tops off and I was too embarrassed to take mine off. If I went swimming, the T-shirt stayed on. I did pluck up the courage to take it off but once I did I became the butt of everyone’s jokes. A girlfriend said that I had bigger boobs than her. I was really hurt by the comment but laughed it off. On my return to the home I knew something had to change.

A friend of mine I hadn’t seen in a while looked amazing after losing a huge amount of weight. She introduced me to her Cambridge Consultants who talked me through the Steps and helped me to set realistic goals. Sole Source was a challenge but once I started to see progress it motivated me to keep going. My favourite flavour was cappuccino.

Since losing weight, life has changed for all the right reasons. I love the gym and have worked hard to achieve the physique I have wanted all my life, and my confidence is sky high. I work out for an hour every day and have replaced unhealthy snacks with nuts and seeds. I prepare food from scratch and my meals are colourful with veggies and protein. I learned how to listen to my body and ask myself if I am full. I limit treats and alcohol to weekends. All these changes have helped me maintain my weight for three years now. A quirky goal I had was to holiday in Brazil and have a ‘James Bond’ moment coming out of the sea in my Speedos… and I did it!