There was always some excuse to stop Alison embarking on a diet, from pregnancy to needing extra calories during breastfeeding, but after giving birth to her third child the excuses ran out

She explains: 'Unfortunately for me, from a weight-loss point of view, I had my three children close together and hadn't managed to lose the weight. When my youngest child was approaching six months old, I realised that I had finally ran out of excuses.

I wasn't pregnant, I wasn't 'in between pregnancies', I hadn't 'just given birth' and I didn't need the 'extra food because of breastfeeding', which is how I used to justify my weight to myself.'

Aware that GI principles were easy to follow and based on healthy eating guidelines, Alison knew the GI plan would be ideal for her. The meal plan also appealed because it was suitable for the rest of her family to follow. And with three kids under the age of five convenient and easy-cook meals are imperative!

Alison adds: 'My husband has been very supportive and helped enormously by doing lots of cooking and experimenting with many of the recipes. Most of the time we're actually able to feed the whole family the same meals, since the GI plan is really all about healthy eating.'

Before joining the plan Alison weighed 12 stone 7 lbs and wore a 'snug fitting' size 16. Just six months later and she is 3 stone 5 lbs lighter.

'I hated getting dressed in the morning and always chose to wear frumpy clothes in an effort to disguise my weight. I was just fooling myself. Everyone knew why I was wearing these clothes! They were tight and uncomfortable, but I refused to buy any more because I knew the size 16 wouldn't fit.'

The days of disguising her figure and feeling dowdy are well and truly over!

'I enjoy getting dressed in the morning (having to buy a new wardrobe helps). Even my pre-children clothes are a size too big! My sense of achievement and the fact that I feel physically well also meant that my positive attitude and confidence returned. Essentially it comes down to one thing; feeling comfortable in my own skin again.

'I simply love my new figure. On my last holiday I wore an itsy, bitsy red hot polka dot bikini and I felt gorgeous.'

Alison's diet was not disastrous before joining Tesco Diets but there was lots of room for improvement which was obvious by her ever-increasing weight, reduced energy levels and poor health.

'I had a very bad snacking habit and my portion sizes were enormous. Because of the chaos of family life I wasn't eating regular meals, just stuffing myself with food whenever I had the opportunity. The funny thing was that I didn't even enjoy the food. It made me feel tired and sluggish. In addition, I wasn't getting enough nutrients and vitamins.'

The alterations Alison made to her diet have given her control over her health and nutritional status.

'The GI diet provides the kinds of foods I love. Due to the structure of my meals I don't tend to snack. The sugar cravings that tormented me previously have disappeared and when I do have the occasional craving it is generally for something like cheese.'

Her words of praise for the GI plan are glowing and it is evident that this meal plan has been about more than just losing weight. The quality of life and rejuvenation to her health has been astounding.

'About two weeks into the diet I turned to my husband and said 'I'm absolutely sure this is going to work'. I had tried the GI diet before but it took the online weight loss programme to make it work effectively for me.

'The meal plan was so easy to follow; it fitted in with my lifestyle. I also found the weigh-in replies from the team very helpful. It may have been a short comment or observation but receiving it from a real person was really encouraging.'

Although Alison is clearly thrilled by her weight loss she does have a very healthy attitude about maintaining and losing further weight.

'I don't want to become obsessed by every morsel I put in my mouth because I'm frightened of gaining a pound more than my ideal weight. However, I am confident about maintaining now because I'm in this for life. Eating sensibly, exercising and being generally more active has become a habit in itself and one that I don't intend to break.'

The trick to remaining enthusiastic during her diet was to think of it as a healthy eating plan rather than a restrictive weight loss diet.

'I didn't consider myself to be on a diet and made sure that I never felt hungry or deprived. Denying yourself the opportunity to enjoy food is negative, damaging and unhealthy!'