Size matters

Before the weight gain kicked in, Susanne almost qualified for the Olympic Games. 'I was a competitive swimmer in South Africa. At the age of ten, I trained with 18-year-olds and was four seconds away from qualifying for the Olympics in breaststroke. I swam eight miles in the morning and 12 miles every evening.'

But just before the age of 12, she contracted St Vitus' dance, a virus related to rheumatic fever. 'It attacks the brain, and I slowly became paralysed and nearly died' she explains.

Inevitably, Susanne lost her peak fitness and as a result, piled on the pounds, which have been hard to shift ever since. 'The only treatment they had at that time was to pump you full of steroids, so within weeks I ballooned out. I was confined to my bed for six months and for a year I wasn't allowed to run. The lack of exercise after having been so super-fit, really hit my body - I doubled in size.'

An unsuccessful engagement then put emotional pressure on Susanne. 'My fiance would always comment on how I needed to lose 'just five more pounds'. I turned to food for comfort. It was a wall that I could hide behind. It was a downward spiral. I found it difficult to get to a point where I could take control of my weight' she says.

Five years ago, her childhood illness came back to haunt her. 'I was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease. There was always a chance of contracting it as a result of having St Vitus's dance. The doctor told me that I needed to lose weight, or I would have heart problems.

But this has been a real turning point for Susanne. 'Since then, I've had two heart operations and am back on top. I want to lose weight too and have asked for a diet recommendation. I was told that my diet would not change my heart condition, but would make me feel better. I've seen a dietician and learned what I should eat.

'I then went on a low-fat diet and lost quite a bit of weight and was able to wear a size 16. It's the only diet that has worked for me. I've lost over two stone in the last four months, and I want to lose the same amount again over the next five to six months' she says.