We all like to think that we could one day manage to achieve our ideal body, and look like the very best version of ourselves. All it would take would be getting rid of fast food and microwave meals, hitting the salad bar and a few spin classes. Unfortunately, the reality is losing weight or putting on muscle is a lot easier said than done. That's why it's important to have inspirational figures to look up to from time to time; people who prove that it can be done.

Laura Sayers is one of those people. Once upon a time, she was a genuine chocoholic, spending $6,879 over the course of eight years on candy bars, munching seven of them a day. She would also scoff Chinese takeaways for dinner, and as a result her weight ballooned - particularly after giving birth to her daughter Caitlin.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Press Association]]

However, everything changed after the death of her aunt Julie, and Laura struggled to find an outfit to wear at the funeral. This experience made her think hard about her own life expectancy, and so she resolved to change. She decided to join the weight loss company Cambridge Weight Plan two weeks later, and switched from sugary treats to smoothies, soups and shakes.

Commenting on her overeating Laura stated: "It was a proper addiction. I’d feel panicked if I didn’t have at least one bar in my bag at all times. I couldn’t go more than five hours without eating one and if I needed more chocolate I would go to different shops, or vary my check-out assistants to buy them, as I didn’t want to deal with the shame of being seen getting more. I’d hide the wrappers in different bins and do all I could to conceal what I was doing to myself."

She added: "I didn’t notice at the time how much I was splashing out, but now, adding it up, I can’t help but think of all the things I could have bought with that money. But in my head, I needed that snack to get me through the day, it was my fix ... I’d eat if I was feeling happy, I’d eat if I was feeling sad. It was all the classics, like Ben and Jerry’s ice cream or my beloved Dairy Milk bars – anything I could get my hands on and my weight piled on."

 

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Press Association]]

She added: "I look in the mirror and sometimes don’t even recognise myself. The girls think their mummy looks great, too, and Duncan has even lost a little bit of weight by supporting me on the Cambridge Weight Plan ... Caitlin had been picked on for my size before, so I decided I didn’t want her getting to high school and to be bullied for having a fat mum. In my size eight skinny jeans, luckily, there’s no chance of that now."

Personally, I think Laura looks incredible; but I doubt that my own workouts will have as much of a dramatic effect on me.

We all like to think that we could one day manage to achieve our ideal body, and look like the very best version of ourselves. All it would take would be getting rid of fast food and microwave meals, hitting the salad bar and a few spin classes. Unfortunately, the reality is losing weight or putting on muscle is a lot easier said than done. That's why it's important to have inspirational figures to look up to from time to time; people who prove that it can be done.

Laura Sayers is one of those people. Once upon a time, she was a genuine chocoholic, spending $6,879 over the course of eight years on candy bars, munching seven of them a day. She would also scoff Chinese takeaways for dinner, and as a result her weight ballooned - particularly after giving birth to her daughter Caitlin.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Press Association]]

However, everything changed after the death of her aunt Julie, and Laura struggled to find an outfit to wear at the funeral. This experience made her think hard about her own life expectancy, and so she resolved to change. She decided to join the weight loss company Cambridge Weight Plan two weeks later, and switched from sugary treats to smoothies, soups and shakes.

Commenting on her overeating Laura stated: "It was a proper addiction. I’d feel panicked if I didn’t have at least one bar in my bag at all times. I couldn’t go more than five hours without eating one and if I needed more chocolate I would go to different shops, or vary my check-out assistants to buy them, as I didn’t want to deal with the shame of being seen getting more. I’d hide the wrappers in different bins and do all I could to conceal what I was doing to myself."

She added: "I didn’t notice at the time how much I was splashing out, but now, adding it up, I can’t help but think of all the things I could have bought with that money. But in my head, I needed that snack to get me through the day, it was my fix ... I’d eat if I was feeling happy, I’d eat if I was feeling sad. It was all the classics, like Ben and Jerry’s ice cream or my beloved Dairy Milk bars – anything I could get my hands on and my weight piled on."

 

[[imagecaption|| Credit: Press Association]]

She added: "I look in the mirror and sometimes don’t even recognise myself. The girls think their mummy looks great, too, and Duncan has even lost a little bit of weight by supporting me on the Cambridge Weight Plan ... Caitlin had been picked on for my size before, so I decided I didn’t want her getting to high school and to be bullied for having a fat mum. In my size eight skinny jeans, luckily, there’s no chance of that now."

Personally, I think Laura looks incredible; but I doubt that my own workouts will have as much of a dramatic effect on me.