If I can do it, anyone can

I think I've tried every diet available to mankind including the "Standing on your head whilst drinking a gallon of water" diet and the "Look at a lettuce leaf and see those pounds drop off" diet.

None of them have worked surprisingly and, over the years, I've even ended up putting more weight on.

I have an illness called M.E. or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which also makes it hard for me to do exercise due to the extreme pain, fatigue and confusion that goes with the illness.

As my weight increased I became very depressed and would hardly leave the house as I felt so grotesque, imagining that people were laughing at me.

My depression worsened and I started suffering with panic attacks which made it impossible for me to leave the house at all. I began to feel so guilty about food that I would stop myself from eating all day, but this just left me feeling worse than ever. By the evenings I was so hungry I would just grab whatever was easiest and this would always be high fat convenience food.

I’d then feel guilty about what I’d eaten and turn to snack foods for comfort, before starving myself again the next day. It was a vicious cycle of binging and starving that could have taken me all the way into an early grave.

On one very rare occasion when I did leave the house, I bumped into a lady I'd known at school and it has completely changed my life!

I knew that Dawn was a Slimming World Consultant as I'd seen many success stories in the local paper and read about all the money she and her slimmers had raised for our local hospice by losing weight.

I was most surprised that she recognised me though! We got talking and I asked her if she would help me to lose weight. She gave me the biggest hug and suggested I go to my GP and ask for a referral to Slimming World.

It took me a few weeks to pluck up the courage to see my GP. I didn't get to see my usual Doctor but saw a very sympathetic lady Doctor who said she would be happy to arrange a referral as I had a high BMI and my weight was affecting my health.

I felt very nervous walking through the doors on my first day. I was venturing into the unknown and my impression of slimming clubs was that people were generally skinny anyway and I would stick out like a sore thumb. How wrong I was! On the morning I joined, I paced up and down outside the doors of St Patricks Church Hall in Consett, where my class takes place. I was too scared to go in!

After a good 15 minutes of sheer panic, I eventually plucked up the courage and went in. I was greeted by my school friend and Slimming World Consultant, Dawn. Once again she gave me the biggest hug and said she was so thrilled to see me.

Other ladies from the group also came over and welcomed me. To be honest, my fear just seemed to disappear. Nobody batted an eyelid that I was huge and I mean HUGE! Everyone was so lovely and I knew that I was going to be okay.

Dawn went through the eating plan with me and I couldn't believe how much you could actually eat and how easy it was.

As much fruit and veg, pasta, potatoes, rice, lean meat and fish as I liked – and I could still have chocolate! It wasn't a diet at all.

It was a new and healthy way of eating with nothing out of bounds and very little chance of ever being hungry.

I started my weight loss journey with a whopping 22st to lose.

I was mortified but knew I needed to do this for my health, my confidence, my husband and, to be brutally honest, to stop me being carried off in a wooden box that was going to be supersized and impossible to lift.

Dawn never said a thing about my weight other than "I'm so proud of you for coming through those doors Wendy".

In my first week I lost an amazing 11.5lbs. I was stunned! I felt like I'd eaten for England and yet I had a gobsmacking result.

I got such a cheer from the ladies in group. It felt amazing and to be honest, better than even winning the lottery.

I've now been in group for 19 weeks and have lost 3st 10lbs.

There have been weeks where I've put on and some where I've stayed the same. Dawn is never disappointed in me, whatever the weekly result. She supports me 110%, as do the other ladies and gentlemen in group.

I know I have a long way to go on this journey, but this time I'm going to see it through and be the bubbly person I used to be and with an even brighter future. I hope you'll join me on my journey and share your experiences with me along the way too.

I'm hoping that by sharing all my thoughts and the up and downs of my weight loss journey with you, I might inspire you and others to keep going and feel fantastic. I know there'll be tears and laughter along the way, but each and every one of us can do it.

I'm living proof and if I can do it, anyone can.

Love Wendy xxx