I am a wife and mother of two young boys and for the past three years I have noticed my weight slowly creep up on me.

I didn’t realise until I took a long hard look at myself in the mirror. It was then I decided my 2011 new year’s resolution was to lose it. The thing was I had lost the weight before but went back to my old eating habits and put it all back on, while still exercising. I knew this time had to be different and I had to make a lifelong change.

Losing weight is as much about the mental approach as it is about the physical; without it you will never be able to sustain it.

I started out eating very clean – only things that were given to us by Mother Nature – but I soon realised that it was not going to be a long-term change as I constantly felt hungry and weak.

When it comes to losing weight, I discovered the maths is quite simple: expend more calories than you eat and you will lose weight. Exercise is just as important as eating well; it keeps you fit, strong and builds lean muscle. Nothing beats a good cardio and weight training session.

The hardest part for me was cutting back on chocolate and wine. I love a nice glass of red wine (or two) at the end of the day. Let’s face it, you don’t have to give things up completely but moderation is the key. If you are going to have a glass of red wine or a piece of chocolate, you just need to count it into your daily calorie count and make up for it elsewhere.

It’s hard; my husband won’t eat all the same things I now eat, so I am cooking two different meals – one meal for my family and one meal for me.

I learnt to cook large amounts of food to be frozen. It saves time later, especially if it’s been a busy day. I also prepare my lunches in advance and if I go out I always make sure I take some healthy snacks with me.
I do my exercise quite early in the morning before getting my eldest son off to school. They’re up around 6am so it’s the perfect time to get into it. The kids watch a little TV while I do my cardio, then I fix us all some yummy breakfast and finish off with some strength training.

I used to belong to a gym but found it hard, as when the kids are sick, you cannot put them in the crèche. I have a treadmill, dumbbell, barbell, weights and an exercise ball at home.

Doing the 12-week BodyBlitz challenge while watching The Biggest Loser Families has been a great combination for me. Not only has it helped me reach my goal weight but it has also prepared me mentally and emotionally for a lifelong change.

I have always looked up to figure competitors; they are amazing and truly inspire me. Who knows, maybe I’ll be up on that stage one day!