I'm a tortoise

When I joined Lighter Life, I was certainly seduced by the promise to lose a stone a month. As I mentioned earlier in the year, my only goal this year is to lose weight and anything else I achieve is purely a bonus. I decided to go all out and opt for 'Totalfast', the Lighter Life plan where you only eat four packs a day, drink 2-3 litres of water and keep moving.

So, 11 weeks later, I should almost be at 3 stone off, but actually I have only achieved half of that. In the Lighter Life group, there are hares and tortoises, the latter lose weight at a slower race yet also seem to have incredible determination. But you know what? 23lbs off already feels great and I accept that being petite (4ft 11 inches) means my weight loss will be slower.

I have more energy, I am sleeping better, I have zero heartburn, my IBS symptoms have gone and my periods are much less painful.

We live in a society where instant gratification has become the norm and we seem to have lost patience. Good things do come to those who put the effort in and you have to understand that you didn't put the weight on overnight, so it isn't going to come off overnight either.

I am feeling much more confident already and am still enjoying the journey. I am in a great routine with my packs, one at 10am, one at 1pm and two at 6pm.

I also discovered the reason why I'm exercising and not losing any weight.

Four packs a day equated to approximately 650 calories. Combine this with intensive cardio workouts and you will slow your metabolism because your body is struggling to find the energy to support such a high increase in heart rate.

I don't claim to be an expert, I can only talk of my experience, but on the week I did four workouts and a long walk, I lost zero pounds and on the week where I focused on strength training with dumbbells and kettle bells, I lost 4lbs!

It's great to see the changes in my face shape and my neck. My torso is much firmer and I hope my hips, bum and mum tum reduce further. One thing I know is that I wish I had started this sooner, before I had let myself get so out of control.

Here's to the rest of the journey, I can't wait to show before and after pics!