All around me, there was clapping and cheering as I crossed the finish line of the Chicago Marathon, feeling tired but ecstatic. I’d achieved one of my biggest dreams and I’d also raised £1,400 for a local animal-rescue centre. It was a fitting cause – because if it hadn’t been for my own dogs, I might never have got this far.
Three years earlier, I’d found it a struggle to take my two poodles, Beau and Louis, and my golden retriever, Oscar, out for their daily walk. As their walks got shorter, I felt sad that, while I was more than ready to sit down after 10 minutes, the dogs had barely got started. It wasn’t something that had happened overnight – I’d struggled with my weight for years. Through my teens and into my 20s, after each fad diet, I’d turn to chocolate and crisps for comfort.
My battle with food escalated as I trained to be a solicitor. The stress of work and study left me exhausted. At the end of a long day, my husband, Mark, and I would share a takeaway and a bottle of wine. Afterwards, I’d feel even less energetic – and as I gained weight, I started to dislike what I saw in the mirror.
As I turned 30, Mark and I talked about starting a family. After we’d been trying for a while, I was referred for tests.
この記事は WOMAN'S OWN の September 23, 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は WOMAN'S OWN の September 23, 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
ANITA NAIK A PROBLEM SHARED
Mum-of-two Anita Naik has been an agony aunt for 32 years
ON SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA
Add the wilds of Kruger National Park to your bucket list, says Amanda James
'LET'S RAISE SOME SERIOUS CASH!'
The Radio 2 DJ is among the hosts of Children In Need…
THREE WOMEN ONE DRESS
Gemma Stevens, 34, needed a wedding dress that had stood the test of time
HOW TO HAVE A SILENT NIGHT
Trouble nodding off? Waking in the early hours? Our experts can help
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on I'm a Celeb, work attire and young drivers
I THOUGHT HE'D COME TO KILL ME
For Sally Meeson, 45, the end of a relationship was the beginning of a nightmare
Loose Women IN CRISIS
With unhappy viewers and panel fall-outs, are the key characters about to be axed?
MAGNIFICENT MAURITIUS
Pe This istand in the ut 7% Indian Ocean feels Sa: like paradise, says Charlotte Richards
I HATE BEING A MUM
One woman, 55, reveals why she resents all of the sacrifices she made to be a mother