A carer who says she started "raiding the biscuit barrel" in her teens has lost an incredible 10 stone after vowing to be "fab at 40."
Rachal Collins, now 41, decided on New Year's Eve in 2018 that she had to make a change after realising she weighed 21st 7lbs.
The trained beautician who is now a full time carer to her 72-year-old mum Carol has lost "the equivalent of a whole person" since vowing to change her life for good.
She recalled: "By the time I was 38, I'd look in the mirror and tell myself, 'I’m not going to look like this at 40'."
So she joined a WW weight loss group with the hope of losing a few stone.
Rachal, from Sandhurst in Berkshire, says she began to let her weight spiral in 2012 when her mum was hit by a car while crossing the road - leaving her with serious mobility issues.
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When her dad Daniel died from kidney cancer the following year, Rachal admits she turned to emotional eating.
"I had lost weight before, but it had gone up and down and then, after mum’s accident and after dad died, things just went downhill because I started eating even more," she said.
However, Rachal had struggled with her weight her whole life which led to cruel teasing at school.
"By the time I was 11, I looked 15, so I was picked on at school," she said. "I had a friendship group where quite a few of us were a bigger size and, although I would stand up to the bullies, when I got home I’d just eat because people would say things that had hurt my feelings, like 'Fatty.'
"We lived opposite a shop, so it was easy to pop out for snacks."
After first joining WW, Rachal stuck strictly to the points system and was given a daily allowance of 43 points. But as the weight fell off her, the allowance went down.
“Once the weight is coming off, the diet becomes more about healthy eating and portion sizes,” she said.
Before losing weight, Rachal would usually skip breakfast. If she did eat, she'd have buttered toast.
Lunch would consist of "anything and everything," but she usually opted for junk food and sweets. She also snacked on crisps throughout the day.
But after joining WW, she started eating breakfast in the form of a bowl of porridge with blueberries, boiled eggs and a banana for lunch and chicken with salad for dinner. She also hugely cut down on her portion sizes.
Three years on, Rachal weighs in at 11st 7lbs and wears size 14 clothes - and she's so much happier.
Now, she still sticks to the points system but isn't as strict - taking time off over Christmas and for birthdays.
Proud of what she's achieved and of her transformation, Rachal said she loves being able to buy nicer clothes and not having to search at the back of the rail for bigger sizes.
She said: “I have kept a few of my larger tops in a box under my bed.
"I take take them out sometimes and look at them to remind myself that I am never going back up to that weight again."
She encouraged others looking to lose weight in the new year not to be disheartened if they have a bad day - and it doesn't mean they should give up.
"If you have a bad day don’t make it a bad week or a bad month. You are only human, so once you are in the right mindset, you should get back on your diet.
"If you hit a crisis, don’t try and diet. Eat what you want, but when you are settled again, go back to healthy eating so you can get your weight down."
She added: "Believe in yourself. Never give up on yourself and hold your head high, because you can do this."
Have you had an incredible body transformation? Email jessica.taylor@reachplc.com
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