Since I was a teenager, my weight has fluctuated quite dramatically but the weight really piled on after the birth of my first child and sudden death of my father, just over 10 years ago. At that point, I was very unwell and was diagnosed with depression/anxiety and went onto medication, which I remained on for years. At that time, I was very unhappy with the way I looked (I was almost 15 stone) but couldn't really find the drive to do anything about it...

My Dukan story...

I had a few half hearted attempts at dieting but I didn't really stick at anything for longer than a couple of days.

I was stuck in the cycle of comfort/boredom eating and was addicted to foods such as cheese, bread and pasta, I also liked a few too many glasses of wine.

y favorite support Dukan food: Cottage cheese with chives and garlic

My Dukan treat:
Fat free Vanilla Yoghurt mixed with oatbran

My favourite form of exercise:
Walking my dogs

The nicest compliment I've been paid:
"You now look like the person you have always wanted to be"

What keeps me going:
Feeling so healthy!

The advice I'd give to others "Dukanians":
Drink plenty of water, have your oatbran, stick with it and I promise it will be worth it!

I finally came off my medication a year or so ago and was feeling much better but my weight was still an on going issue, at just under 14 stone. 

The real lightbulb moment came when one of my oldest and dearest friends asked me to be her bridesmaid.
I was so honoured and excited to be asked but also extremely nervous at the thought of the many pictures that would be taken!
Pictures used to terrify me, so much so that there are so few pictures of me from years past, that I struggled to find one for my "before" shot.

I read about the dukan diet in a newspaper and it immediately made sense to me, I bought the book and started it in July 2010, with the thought that if it made me feel unwell, then I would stop.
If anything, the opposite happened, within a few weeks the weight was falling off quickly and my mind felt the clearest it had done in years!! It made me determined to carry on.

I didn't quite reach my true weight of 10 stone 7lbs for the wedding on the 30th November 2010 but I did reach 10 stone 11lbs, having lost 3 stone 1lb.
I felt amazing and was happy to have my picture taken next to the gorgeous bride and my lovely fellow bridesmaids. 

Since then, I have lost another 1 stone 1lb and have settled at a weight of 9 stone 10lbs, making a total loss of 4 stone 2lbs, which I have managed to matain since January 2011. 

I will be continuing with consolidation until August 2011 until I go onto stablisation finally.
This has not been a diet for me but a complete life changing experience which has given me a much healthier approach to food.

I am now doing things that I had always made excuses not to do with lack of confidence being the main issue.

Since losing the weight, I have embarked on training towards a complete career change, I have stopped smoking and also biting my nails.
For the first time in years, I feel positive about the future and I can't wait to see what life holds for me.