Before I had children, I was always slim and could pretty much eat anything I liked - and so I did! But after my second child I just couldn't shiftthe weight.
I'd snack on chocolate to get me through the dayand finish off the children's dinners as well as my own - and I was too exhausted to exercise once the kids had gone to bed.
I didn't really care, to be honest, as my priorities were elsewhere. I just wanted to focus on the children. My husband would gently say things about me putting on weight but I didn't pay any attention. In fact, any time my weight was pointed out to me I would just rebel! To be fair, my portion sizes were ridiculously large, but I just didn't want to hear it. Then in May 2011 I went to a party and when I saw the photos of me there I felt fat andit really knocked my confidence. By July I had put oneven more weight. I had tried to diet but I'd have a good couple of days and then the minute something bad or stressful happened,I was straight back to square one and my efforts would all go to pot.
I knew I'd put on weight but didn't realise how big I'd got until I went to buy a dress for a family wedding we'd been invited to.
I had been tryingto lose weight for it and remember seeing a beautiful outfitI thought I'd be ableto squeeze into.
I was at the shop trying on the dress and to my horror I got stuck in it and couldn't get it off.I had to be cut out by the girls working there - I was just mortified.
My mum and sister-in-law, who I was with, thought it was hilarious but I was so ashamed.
But even after that I didn't have the willpower to do anything about it.
Then, at the wedding, a relative who I hadn't seen for years made a comment about how much weight I'd put on. It was the final straw and exactly the kick I needed to motivate myself.
That night I went on the internet and started Googling gastric bands. I know it seems drastic but I'd tried to diet in the past and never got anywhere.
The only thing stopping me was the cost and soI started to look for cheaper alternatives - and that's when I discovered hypnotherapy.
Quick results
At my heaviest I weighed 86 kilograms and wore size 16 clothes. Today I'm 35 kilos lighter and a size 8 - my life has totally turned around.
I lost the weight in just three months and it's all down to hypnotherapy.
I visited UK therapist Russell Hemmings forweight-loss hypnotherapy and after just two sessionsI went home and could barely eat my dinner I felt so full up.
It was amazing. I just don't get very hungry now and I want to eat healthier foods.
I can honestly say my weight loss has been easy.I immediately went out and bought an exercise bike and it's become a daily ritual now.
I've also changed the way I eat, my portion sizes have dramatically reduced and I drink lots and lots of water - which I never did before.
It's no longer a constant battle for me. In fact I'd say weight loss has been easy. Plus my children get to see me exercising and eating healthily and my husband has even set himself up a little gym in the shed!
I cannot believe how it's changed our whole family.I didn't feel like I was in control before, now I have more energy, much more confidence - and I'm constantly shopping because I keep going down dress sizes!
I can have a treat now and not feel like beating myself up about it, because I think it's really important not to deprive yourself.
I remember someone once telling me "the bigger you are the smaller you feel" and I can totally relate to that now. I am never going back. Never. All my old clothes have gone now anyway, so I can't!
Hypnotherapist Russell Hemmings says: "You can tell your unconscious mind that actually you don't need food if something stressful happens or that you do need to get up and exercise. Instead of feeling compelled to sit around being inactive, you can feel compelledto get up and out or get to the gym. You can think yourself thin. If your unconscious mind is telling you these things you will no longer have that internal battle with yourself about what you should and shouldn't eat, whether you should exercise or whether you should have that extra chocolate biscuit!
"The only thing which is stopping you from losing weight is your mind. Your unconscious mind has taken control and so you have to consciously decide not to eat that or move your body or stop eating. It's exhausting!
"Weight-loss hypnotherapy isn't about dieting or denying yourself anything. It's about making a lifestyle change, finding a happy medium for you and committing to live like that. And I use a combination of cognitive behavioural and clinical hypnotherapy to do just that. The UAE has a huge prevalence of diabetes and that is all down to poor diet, lack of exercise and expanding waistlines. But it is preventable and I aim to help start making that change and help people halt this ticking health time bomb once and for all."
