I'm Seven Stone Lighter And Seven Sizes Smaller!

After years of emotional eating, Tracey Houlihan knew it was time to take control

- Mishaal Khan

No mum wants to lie their child, but every time mine asked me to run in the garden or bounce on the trampoline, I had to do just that. I’d say I was too busy or too tired, because anything was better than admitting the truth – that I was simply too big.

Growing up, I’d never had a problem with my weight. My parents made sure my siblings and I ate healthily and by the time I reached my 20s, I was a size 10 and used to start my day with a three-mile run.

But then, in July 2002, not long after my 25th birthday, my mum died suddenly. She was just 44. We were all devastated, it seemed impossible that she was gone. As the eldest two, my sister Claire, then 22,and myself took on the running of the house – Dad was too distraught. We cooked big meals for everyone, but while eating together helped us to share our grief, for me, it was the start of a decade of comfort eating that continued even after I left home.

When I married David in August 2004, I was a size 12 and I only got bigger. Of course, I recognised my destructive behaviour – raiding the fridge at night, gorging on snacks at my hairdressing job in the day – but I didn’t care.

Four difficult pregnancies didn’t help my weight, either. I had pre-eclampsia with each of them, was in hospital for long periods.