Since starting my personal Herbalife Challenge its got me thinking about some of the awful things I’ve done to my body in my quest for skinniness.

When I was a teenager – I was a curvy size 10/12, I hated the fact I had boobs and hips and a description of hourglass, I wanted to be more Olive Oyl than Betty Boop.

I remember seeing a pic of myself oh holiday and was horrified; I spent the rest of the week wearing my brothers baggy T Shirt on the beach.  Oh what I wouldn’t do for that body now ! All I saw was a chubby teenager with a round belly – and what I wanted to see was a sophisticated skinny with a washboard stomach. I did some modelling as a teenager and looking back now I had an amazing figure I just didn’t appreciate it.

My first attempt at dieting was eating nothing but lettuce – I did this for 4 days until I fainted in the kitchen and had to tell my Mother who quickly admonished me and sat there and watch me eat a massive bowl of stew and dumplings. I felt so bad I tried to make myself sick afterwards – very unsuccessfully I might add and just ended up with a saw throat! And so began my love hate relationship with food.

I spent the remainder of my teenage years eating almost normally but with any imminent special occasion I would go back on the lettuce – then I discovered Chocolate Laxatives – the answer to my prayers and a flat belly.  I also became unable to go out of the house or anywhere that wasn’t within reaching distance of a loo, what was the point in a flat belly if I couldn’t show it off to anyone !!

When I reached 20 I became pregnant for the first time – hell what a massive 9 months of binging that was,  a whole 4 stone worth!! I had a craving for dry roasted peanuts washed down with apple juice and devoured at least 2 x 500g  bags a day – most of it came back up again but I just couldn’t stop eating them. Even worse when Kerri was born she weighed 7lb 2oz and my scales said I lost 5lb !!!

It took me the best part of 3 years to lose 3 of those stones and I managed to maintain it until my 2nd pregnancy – this time I only put on another 4 stone, 20 years later and another baby and I was a whopping 5 stone more than that skinny teenager on the beach !

I thoroughly abused my body in an attempt to lose weight  - I did the Cabbage Soup diet and spent most of my time avoiding public places due to incessant flatulence… I did Atkins and gorged myself on massive hunks of cheese and fatty steak washed down with white wine… I did the obligatory slimming clubs which encourage you to eat eat eat but only certain foods – all good until you realise you have developed the appetite of an adult elephant !

I have flirted with the South Beach diet, the Zone diet and even the Maple Syrup diet and I seem to have lost the same stone over and over and over. I have shut myself away and exercised solidly for 2-3 hours at a time.
I discovered running was a great way to maintain my weight and still eat and drink what I liked, however over the years my back got worse and worse and the running became less.

I used to give my family ‘feast days’ when I would cook up all sorts of treats and lay them out buffet style on the table, I would drink a bottle of wine during the cooking and generally another whilst eating it as well, these once a month feast days became once a week, then all weekend every weekend, until I noticed another stone had crept on !

I've now decided once and for all I had to lose this excess weight. My daughter introduced me to Herbalife and I was actually relieved I didn’t have to think about what to have for breakfast and lunch – no more empty cupboard so I’ll just pop in a whole pizza for lunch! I loved the fact I wasn’t hungry, I loved the fact my stomach seemed to shrink and I loved how good it made me feel I didn’t want wine to cloud this my enthusiasm with a fuzzy head.

I decided I had abused my body for over 30 years – I feel privileged and lucky to be here and if I am lucky enough to be here for another 30 I’m going to make sure that from now on its not about dieting, its about wellness, health and nutrition. I feel blessed that I’ve found Herbalife and its changed my outlook on food and my life – if I can help 1 other person feel the way its made me feel I’ll be happy.


Kathleen xxx