Soraya:  “When I left education I went straight into a job.  But I think that was the problem, my job became too much very quickly.  I’d start at 7:30am and finish at 6:30pm and would often take work home with me on top of that to get ahead.  I ended up with no time for my boyfriend, no time for my friends, no time for exercise and definitely none for myself!  I didn’t even notice that I’d got bigger.  When I left my job two years later, I finally had time to go through my wardrobe and I realised how much weight I’d put on when I couldn’t get into any of my clothes.  Now I’m 14kg overweight [over two stone] and I wish I’d taken action before”
Mary: “Living at home, I weighed around 56kg [8 stone 8], but after moving in with my boyfriend I stopped regular sport to make more time for us, which is when the trouble started.  Nights out with friends, curries after the pub, restaurants and romantic meals at home all added up.  I went up to 67kg [10.5 stone] in just a few months.  I went back to my exercise classes six months ago, have been keeping an eye on what I eat and I’ve lost 6kg [nearly a stone].  I don’t plan on stopping there either!”