Drinking Fizzy Drinks Nearly Made Me Pop!

At a size 34, Kelly Foulds thought there was no way she’d ever get healthy, but look at her now…

There are some people in life who always choose the low-fat, sugar-free option. They’re clean eating, healthy living – and they tend to look, and feel, great for it. But that was never me. In fact, until not long ago, thanks to my sweet tooth, I was drinking 1,000 litres of sugary, fizzy drinks a year. That’s 100 teaspoons of sugar every day...

My issues with food started as a child. While my mum always made hearty home-cooked meals like stews and casseroles, one portion was never enough, and, while the chocolate and crisps in the treat cupboard were meant to be just that – a treat – as soon as I got home from school, I’d grab a couple of bars to sneak into my room.

By the time I was 15 I was a size 16. Mum tried to get me to cut back, but she couldn’t control what I was eating at school. I’d choose chips for lunch and always have a pudding. Of course, I knew I was getting bigger, and that my uniform was getting tighter, but with a close group of friends, I was never bullied, so I refused to let my weight bother me.

No self-control

After starting university aged 22, suddenly I had free rein to do what I wanted, with no one telling me otherwise. I ate cream cakes and cheesy pizzas. And, when I started my job working in debt collections, I’d pop out to grab a greasy kebab and a large portion of chips at lunch. But while that all sounds dreadful – and you can probably picture the fat piling on – worse still was what I was drinking…