For as long as I can remember I have been overweight – always the fat kid, the fat friend, the overweight person sitting on the sidelines not wanting to be seen. I ate whatever and whenever I wanted, without thinking about my health.

Just over two years ago I felt like I was uncomfortable in my own skin. At 86kg and almost a size 20, I decided to do something about it. In one year I managed to lose about 17kg.

For the next six months my weight remained stagnate. I needed motivation so I joined a local fitness group called Girlfit who were starting a 12-week challenge, and the trainer suggested that we enter the BodyBlitz challenge to give us some extra motivation.

Having a 9-5 job, an 8-year-old son, a husband and a house to maintain meant that finding time to work out was a challenge. Nighttime workouts were hard to fit in, so getting up at 5.15am became part of my ritual six days a week.

With the Girlfit workout schedule I was able to plan my days around exercise. My workouts consisted of a mixture of boxing, stair climbing, sprinting, cycling and weight training.

Food was definitely my biggest challenge. I have always found eating right really difficult. The eating plan from Girlfit really helped as everything I could eat was written down and I didn’t have to think.

My husband and son were great, always telling me how proud they were of me and helping to make sure that I didn’t miss an exercise session or put the wrong thing in my mouth. They never once complained about having to sacrifice their pizza nights for grilled fish and vegies.

As the weeks went on I started to notice my fitness increase and, even better, my clothes getting baggy, which made me want to work harder. Everywhere I went people would comment on how good I looked and how much weight I had lost.

I worked out six days a week and on most days did two sessions a day. Gradually the workouts and healthy eating became routine. I now feel like anything is possible. Before starting the challenge I struggled to run the 300m to the end of my street, but now I can run 5-6km. I feel more alive then ever before.

The challenge has come to an end but my life has changed so much for the better that I’m not stopping. I love that I can buy clothes from any shop. I love that I feel so healthy and happy. I love that I can now keep up with my son and I love that I am now able to be me.