Today, I’m 20 kg lighter than I was when I started my weight loss journey but the journey is far from over.…. Belle… (Steph will be posting her weightless journey soon as well – every ones challenge is different so we have separate posts this time around)

My story is not one of overnight success. I didn’t take a magic pill – so many people come to the pharmacy and asking for a magic solution that will make them skinny overnight- if it existed I would have taken it a long time ago. My journey has been more like a roller coaster ride of trials, many errors, and a collection of small milestones along the way, eventually leading to more than I ever expected to gain. What I have learned through this journey is that one cannot take the elevator to success you need to take the stairs and climb every step yourself.

I have been yo – yo dieting for years; I tried programs all the Maltese people go to where you are hooked to machines and told what to eat and what not to, I tried diets with meal replacement shakes and meal bars. And yes I do lose some weight for a while but once you go back to real life the weight starts piling back on again. A few years ago I started training regularly with a personal trainer- to be fair I had lost weight back then but my workload at the pharmacy started increasing and I was finding it increasingly difficult to fit in scheduled appointment with the trainer (even if she really did try her best to accommodate my schedule) and when I did manage to go then I had no time to prepare proper healthy food – I would be famished and I would eat something unhealthy so I ended up putting on weight.

I was always the bigger girl ever since I was young – in fact at school I was always bullied because of this by many kids. To be fair I was not fat back then – i was just bigger – had a bigger frame then most girls but it didn’t really stop the mean girls in my class- (still have a big frame so theres no way I can ever be a skinny size 6 or 8 like most of my friends but I can be slimmer and healthy.) As I grew older – I started socialising more; eating out more; having a few drinks here and there and all the added calories and lack of physical activity lead to the weight piling on. I was always an emotional eater – Food makes me feel good – so when I had a bad day I would treat myself to a burger or a pizza or some ribs and a plate of fries. When I had a good day I would celebrate with a pizza or a piece of Cake or with 2 of my favourite men Ben and Jerry. I stopped weighing myself and I ignored the signs – clothes that don’t fit anymore, feeling tired all the time. To make things worse I had issues with food intolerances and a slow Thyroid to boot. So all in all it was a recipe to being overweight.

Last February I decided that the yo – yo ing had to stop and that it was high time I took this challenge on head on. I was chatting with Francesca Fenech Conti and she suggested I try plan h. Basically Plan h you get healthy meals; correct portion sizes (i used to eat double or triple the plan h portion before). It was perfect for my lifestyle -I live alone ; have very erratic hours and that way healthy food is always available – if I don’t make it out of the pharmacy for lunch my plan h meal is there -I don’t need to either starve myself for a day and then go home and binge in the evening or buy a quick unhealthy snack – as to be fair its not always easy to find healthy options in Malta. Also I did not go to the supermarket thanks to plan h – so I avoided all forms of temptation.

I had a lot of support from my friends – I told them I will be starting plan h and needed their support in the beginning – not eating out often, and not eating ice cream and chips in front of me etc. They were really supportive of this and helped me get through the first month which was the toughest. I’m not saying it was always easy and there weren’t days when I went off track – but now 6 months down the line I am able to say no to something that I know is not good for me. My journey is not over – I still have more weight to lose and once I do reach target weight it will be an ongoing battle to maintain the weight and not pile it back on. However I have learnt to restrict my portions – to say no to food that is bad for me.

Now I only get plan h from Monday to Friday and I cook myself over the weekend – so as to make sure that once I go off the plan I can handle the challenge myself. But for anyone who has ever struggled with weight – I truly recommend plan h – it has helped me immensely. I don’t think I would have gotten this far if it wasn’t for it. I have also started exercising again lightly – 3 days a week – to keep the momentum going and to keep improving on my healthy lifestyle.

2017 was the year that I started a healthy life style. Its not about dieting its about changing your life completely. It has to be a global effort – you need to set your mind to the lifestyle change – I still socialise with my friends – all of them can tell u – I go to restaurants with them they eat and have dessert and I have my healthy meal at home before I go and have some water and just enjoy their company.

Eventually once I reach my target weight I plan to allow myself a meal out per week but I will try and chose the healthier option of what is available and avoid dessert. After all You eat to live and not live to eat. I would never have believed it if you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be the girl choosing salmon and barley over a burger and french fries, but I have for the past 6 months and I am loving it.

For anyone who is interested check out Plan h – I assure you if you’re mind is set on losing weight there is no way you will not manage with plan h. You can lose the weight and live a healthier life, no matter how far away you feel from that goal right now. One step, one small change at a time, transform your life. You can do this! Start right now.Sometimes you just need someone to believe in you and help you take the first step – I had friends who believed in me – find someone to encourage you and go for it.