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No choccie, but life's so sweet!

I'm a reformed chocoholic...


Published by: Laura Hinton
Published on: 28 March 2013

My tummy growled as I drove to work. Swinging into the petrol station, I filled up the car. Then I waddled inside to pay and, as usual, I picked up a giant chocolate muffin and a bar of Dairy Milk for breakfast.
‘Just these thanks,' I smiled guiltily at the man on the till.
I was obsessed with chocolate and I'd be topping up my supply soon because it was nearly Easter. Me and my hubby Karl, 28, always received at least 20 eggs from family and I'd devour them in under a week.
‘The sooner they're gone, the sooner I can work them off,' I'd chuckle.
Not that I meant it. At nearly 16st and a size 22, I didn't have the energy for exercise.
I'd tried dieting, but nothing ever worked. Of course, it didn't help that me and Karl had fallen into a routine of eating takeaways up to five times a week.
‘Oh well,' I said to Karl. ‘I might be chubby but I love chocolate so much, it makes
me happy.'
As well as Easter, Christmas was another excuse to over-indulge in my favourite sweet treats. But, one January, when I looked over photos from the festive season, I was horrified.
‘Oh my god,' I gasped to Karl. ‘I look absolutely massive!'
‘You're not that bad,' Karl said.
But I absolutely hated what I saw. ‘I'll be buying size 24 clothes next,' I sobbed. ‘Enough is enough.'
So, when a Slimming World leaflet was posted through my door a few days later, I decided to give it a go. I could eat as many fruit and vegetables as I liked, so
I didn't feel deprived.
But I knew I had to go cold turkey with chocolate. For the first month, I kept getting really bad headaches.
‘I think I'm having withdrawal symptoms,' I groaned to Karl.
But I stuck to my diet plan and in just three months, I'd dropped to a size 18.
Six months on, I was a size 14. I was even confident enough to wear a bikini on holiday to Cape Verde in the summer - the first time I'd worn one for years!
A year on, I'm a size 12 and weigh 10st 8lb. I couldn't
be happier. I only have a chocolate bar every few weeks and this year, I'll be having one Easter egg instead of 20. I never thought I'd cope without chocolate, but life is just as sweet without it.

• To find your nearest Slimming World group, call 0844 897 8000 or visit www.slimmingworld.com.


Emma Richards, 29, Barnsley, South Yorkshire