A 50-year-old woman said she is feeling better than ever after losing an incredible three stone in just three months.
Nikki Ward decided to go on a weight loss journey as she began to approach her 50th birthday and knew that she was going to shy away from the cameras yet again.
She told Express.co.uk she struggled with her weight when she hit menopause, leading her to feel angry at herself.
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Tired of beating herself up over her weight gain, she began eating healthily and doing more exercise.
After a few months, the 50-year-old lost an incredible three stone.
Looking back at when she was at her heaviest, Nikki said: "I had tried everything to stabilise my weight and be happy with myself, but nothing worked, and it began to knock my confidence.
"On top of this, I began to experience menopause symptoms and, at the time, I didn't realise but this was a major contributing factor to my weight gain.
"I was at my heaviest when approaching my 50th birthday, and I didn't want another big occasion to be ruined by me avoiding cameras, refusing to get involved, or disliking myself when I saw photographs.
"I constantly beat myself up and lacked confidence about how I looked. I had gone from happy and outgoing to finding reasons not to socialise with even my closest friends."
Nikki knew something had to change when she was invited to her best friend's wedding, and all she could think about was the photos she would have to take on the big day.
She said: "My closest friend had asked me to be maid of honour at her wedding, and whilst I was over the moon and wanted to support her, I couldn't help but think about how I would look in the photos as there would be no hiding from the cameras. It was at this point I decided to make a change.
"I saw a friend's post on Facebook about the amazing results she had seen on The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan, so I decided to give it a go.
"I was paired with my consultant, Deborah, and she booked me in for a call straight away. The initial call gave me the confidence boost I needed, so I decided to go on the plan, and I have never looked back."
Nikki started on the plan in July last year and "navigated my way through all the summer hurdles which would usually cause me to slip up, such as drinks with friends and barbecues, but I was so determined to get the results I wanted, so I stuck to the plan rigorously and was rewarded with a two stone weight loss in just two months".
The 50-year-old continued: "The support from my consultant Deborah was amazing, it was her constant check-ins and pep talks that kept me going when I felt low - I couldn't have done it without her.
"We decided to book the trip of a lifetime to the Maldives to celebrate my 50th birthday. This was another motivator for me to continue on plan, as I wanted to look and feel great in my holiday wardrobe.
"By the time we left for the airport, I had lost almost three stone and gained a fabulous new wardrobe, including some beautiful bikinis which I would never have worn before going on plan. I made the most amazing memories, and even better, I have the pictures to keep them alive forever."
Nikki even felt better by the time her best friend's wedding came around, and didn't worry at all about getting her picture taken.
"When I had the final fitting for my bridesmaid dress, I was delighted to find out it was far too big, I had to exchange it for a smaller size and even have that one taken in twice," she said.
"I felt like a million dollars in it and I'm happy to look back on the day knowing that I looked and felt like the best version of myself."
To maintain her ideal weight, Nikki follows more or less the same meal plan as she did when first started losing weight.
She said: "During the week it's largely the same as it was when I was losing the weight, but I do now allow myself to enjoy nights out off plan and I enjoy my weekends - I just get straight back on as soon as I can.
"When I started out I was very strict - no alcohol, and nothing passed my lips that wasn't a 1:1 product, vegetables, or lean protein. I would even take my own food to social gatherings with friends so as not to impact on my weight loss.
"Now, I enjoy a night out, make sensible menu choices where I can, limit alcohol and just bring myself back into line the next day – it's all about the balance. My whole mindset has changed and, while I enjoy the odd treat, I won't allow myself to lose control of what I'm eating and drinking as I know how good losing the weight has made me feel."
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