I’m Ellen. I am 35 yrs old and currently weigh around 15 and a half stone. I have struggled with my weight all through my life to the point when I don’t ever remember a thin time. Although I have had my thinner moments due to the many, many diets I have tried throughout the years ranging from the sensible to the down-right ridiculous ( Atkins…I’m looking at you).  I probably was at my biggest soon after my daughter, Rosie, was born 2.5 years ago. I was nearly 17 stone but I was then diagnosed with an under active thyroid, which causes weight gain. I lost about a stone or so when they put me on medication to deal with this but I have been my present weight for over a year now and this has nothing to do with the thyroid but more to do with the fact I love food that is bad for me and lots of it.

Both Paul and I have decided that enough is enough and that we really must do something about our slobby selves. We are going to GET IN SHAPE!!!!

This time round I am looking to go for a sensible ‘cut out all the crap but still eat well’ kind of thing. I don’t really want to call it a diet because I have a psychological aversion to them. I think they make people unhappy and don’t usually work in the long-term so I’m looking for a lifestyle change that will be sustainable. I think I will probably be in charge of the menu planning as that’s my kind of bag but that does not mean that Paul gets out of cooking. Luckily we both enjoy cooking and already make most out meals from scratch but we don’t tend to worry to much about fat, sugar, salt content or portion sizes. This will have to change.

As far as exercise goes, it mainly consists of walking to the shop and back for more pies but I think I will be looking into exercise classes in my area as well as think about going swimming regularly. This would be a good one for us because Rosie could come and we can make it into a family activity.

My reasons for the change is mainly health but also aesthetic. I’m just pig sick of being a fatty. I want to be able to walk past a shop window without cringing at a glimpse of my reflection. I want to buy the clothes I would actually like to wear rather than the ones that hide my flab. I also want to teach Rosie about making healthy food choices and hope to encourage her to exercise and stay fit. I can hardly do that if my spare time is spent sat in front of the telly stuffing my face with crisps.

My aim is to have lost 5 stone by this time next year, which will get me down to 10.5 stone. I think this is a realistic goal and while I won’t be slim I should feel and look loads better. I hope to be much more toned due to exercise as one of my fears is to be left with horrible saggy loose skin. Then I would know the true meaning of bingo wings!

So let the Year of Health commence…well on January 1^st anyhow. I can’t be expected to cut back over Xmas can I?