My hunt for a festive frock made me realise I needed to change, but I wasn’t prepared for what was about to happen. By Rachael Moore, 28
Christmas music played as I headed to the shops ready to get spending.
I was on a mission to bag myself a fabulous outfit for my office party, and I couldn’t wait to hit the changing rooms.
On every rail were silver sequined tops and gorgeous red velvet dresses.
These would look amazing! I thought.
But there was a snag.
I was a size 32 and couldn’t find anything that was big enough to fit me.
Eventually I found a couple of black dresses that were only a few sizes too small.
But in the changing room, when I pulled a black lace dress over my head and smoothed the fabric over my bust, it got stuck.
I gave it a tug but it wouldn’t move. I felt my cheeks burn as I grew hotter and sweatier, but no matter how much I wriggled and squirmed, the dress would not go past my boobs.
Eventually, I yanked it off and threw it on the floor.
I felt deflated and, as I tried on other outfits, my spirits crumpled alongside the large pile of clothes beside me.
Nothing fitted and I left the shop empty-handed.
Deep down, I knew there was only one person to blame.
When I’d been younger, I’d been really sporty and enjoyed dancing and horse riding in my spare time.
But then I’d had a car accident and injured my back, which put paid to all of that.
I’d also begun to comfort-eat.
I did my best to be healthy, making packed lunches with houmous for work.
But my lunches never satisfied me, and I’d wolf them down, along with fry-ups of sausages, bacon, eggs, beans and toast from the café around the corner.
With all my good intentions undone, there never seemed
to be any point in eating something healthy for dinner, so I’d order myself a big bucket of fried chicken instead.
I wanted to change, but the task in front of me seemed enormous. And so, when Christmas arrived, I piled my plate with turkey, roast potatoes and pigs in blankets, followed by a big box of chocolates and wedges of cake.
As we gathered around the table, my sister Abby took a picture. I knew it wouldn’t be the most flattering snap of me but when she showed it to me, my heart sank.
Abby and my mum Michelle looked tiny, while my large bulk filled up the frame.
I thought: I’ve got to do something about this.
So I joined a gym in the new year, but my commitment faded after my first session. It was just such hard work!
As the months ticked by, I hid my head in the sand.
But then one day, at home in Adamsdown, Cardiff, I stepped on the scales and got a shock — the dial read 26 stone.
How could I have got so big? I thought.
But I knew the answer to that one.
It was all the fry-ups and lack of exercise.
And I also knew there was only one thing to be done.
I started by downloading an app on my phone called Couch to 5k, and I began running three times a week.
I also downloaded a calorie-counting app called MyNetDiary.
I stopped skipping breakfast and started my mornings with a bowl of porridge. Then I snacked on carrot sticks, fruit and popcorn, and began cooking healthy meals from scratch.
In the first week, I lost seven pounds.
It really spurred me on, and as my weight continued to drop, I ran my first 5k.
Even though it took me nearly an hour, it felt like a huge achievement.
In six months, I lost five stone and started running further and lifting weights at the gym.
Eighteen months after I started, I reached my goal weight of 13 stone.
I was literally half the woman I’d once been.
And everyone noticed.
‘You look gorgeous,’ my boyfriend James told me.
And I felt it.
Now, I’m part of a rugby team and I still run regularly.
I’m currently saving up to have the excess skin from my weight loss removed.
In the meantime, I have my pick of party frocks — and this New Year I won’t be wallowing in pity — I’ll be grabbing James for a midnight kiss!
Diet before
● Breakfast: nothing
● Lunch: greasy fry-up
● Dinner: Chinese takeaway with spring rolls, dumplings, chips and sauces
● Snacks: crisps, chips, bread, houmous, veg
Diet now
● Breakfast: porridge with chocolate chips
● Lunch: home-made mac and cheese
● Dinner: baked salmon with beans or asparagus
● Snacks: popcorn, fruit and veg
Height: 5ft 5in
Before: 26 stone Size 32
After: 12 stone 7lb Size 10/12
Total loss: 13 stone 7lb