I thought it was the worst birthday present I could have possibly received. But then the pounds started dropping off. By Karin Barker, 34
A small figure ran into the kitchen with a huge smile on his face.
‘Happy birthday, Mum,’ my four-year-old son Max said.
My partner Aaron followed behind.
‘Get your shoes on, birthday girl,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’
A short while later, we left the house, climbed into the car and set off.
I felt excited to find out what Aaron had in store.
When he pulled up outside a restaurant, I thought: This man knows the way to my heart.
Inside, I smiled when I saw my friend Nicky waiting to enjoy a buffet brunch with us.
I kissed Aaron.
‘Thank you for sorting this,’ I said.
My stomach rumbled as I grabbed a plate and piled it high with fried eggs, bacon and sausages.
At the table, I slathered butter on toast, and after cleaning my plate, I returned to the buffet for seconds.
I wore size 20 clothing, but although I felt the strain on my body and suffered breathlessness when I played chase with Max, I told myself life was too short to worry about my weight.
After brunch, we met up with my parents and spent the day strolling through my favourite country park.
As we climbed gentle slopes and admired the scenery, Mum took pictures.
We called her Granny Flash, because she never went anywhere without her camera.
Later that evening, she emailed the photographs to me.
I was on my haunches in the picture and when I saw my bulging thighs and the spare tyre around my tummy, I felt mortified.
It was the first time I realised how big I’d become.
‘That’s it,’ I told Aaron. ‘I’m going on a diet.’
I researched and found a diet called Exante online. It used shakes to help members lose weight.
Within minutes, I’d signed up and ordered my first pack.
While I waited for it to arrive,
I decided to weigh myself for the first time in years.
In the bathroom, I stepped on to the scales and stared in disbelief at the number between my feet — 20st 2lb.
It was all the motivation I needed to ditch my junk food habit.
When my Exante pack arrived, I swapped fast food for planned meal replacement shakes.
Each week, I hopped on the scales and saw the number steadily decrease.
‘I’m so proud of you,’ Aaron said.
Whenever I feared I might give in to temptation, I looked at the photo Mum had taken and it stopped me reaching for my phone to order a takeaway.
My energy levels soared and I signed up for a fitness class near my home in Bristol.
After four and a half months, I swapped my shakes for carefully planned meals and enjoyed cooking healthy, vegetable-packed dishes for my family.
By now, I was doing five exercise classes a week with my trainer Amanda Revive and could chase Max around the house without feeling out of breath.
Within seven months, I’d lost 7st 12lb and dropped from a size 20 to a size 10.
Now I no longer have to fake confidence. I feel fantastic and my new body has given me a new zest for life.
I plan to trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru — something the old me would never have dreamt of.
I felt horrified when I saw Mum’s picture of me on my birthday, but in hindsight that photograph is the best present I’ve ever received.
It changed my life.
Height 5ft 10in
Before 20st 2lb Size 20
After 12st 4lb Size 10
Total loss 7st 12lb
Diet before
Breakfast: cup of coffee
Lunch: McDonald’s
Dinner: chicken curry with poppadoms and naan bread
Snacks: chocolate, crisps, cake
Diet now
Breakfast: overnight oats
Lunch: chicken salad
Dinner: veggie sausages and lots of veg
Snacks: peppermint tea, small amount of dark chocolate