Shape Up Challenge: Diet success

This is the story of one iVillager who completed the Shape Up Challenge, lost more weight than she ever expected and made new friends in the process

My hubby and I have lived in Blackpool for four years now and love it. We'd been out for a wander and I was feeling quite sensitive about my size that day. I'd tried to put on a blouse that had fit a few weeks before, only to find I'd outgrown it. Many larger people will tell you that when you feel big, you only seem to notice those women who are model sizes. Believe me, there are hundreds of them who come to Blackpool each weekend. By the time we got home that night, I was feeling pretty miserable.

Even though we're now both 40, my husband is still the same size and shape as when he was 21. In July this year, I was 5' 3' and weighed 15 stone/2lb, with a 43-inch waist. I just hated myself. That night, while surfing the Net, I found iVillage and the Shape Up Challenge. I read through it first, then decided to give it a go.

Because I was still beating myself up over being fat, I posted a message on the Shape Up message board explaining how I hated my body, my face, everything. The following day I got up early and read everything I'd printed off from the Challenge. I was determined to change. I got hubby up early and off we went to Tesco. I needed supplies.

We spent three hours shopping - reading every label - and came home with bags of healthy food. It had been ages since I'd spent any time in my kitchen, as we eat out most days. But I didn't have to really give up anything. Even now, I buy Cubed Steak and Minced Steak, Pork Loin Steaks, all Tesco Healthy Eating (H/E) brands. Apart from this, we eat a lot of chicken breasts and turkey.