NO MORE EXCUSES!

When it came to making changes, Pippa Poitras, 57, knew it was now or never

- KIM WILLIS, ASHLEIGH PAGE

Hearing the ping of the microwave, I slid the ready-meal lasagne-for-one onto the plate and tucked in. Convenience meals such as this were typical for me, especially after a long day at my job as a sales rep. ‘I don’t have time to prepare healthy meals,’ I’d convince myself.

It was 2015 and, at 13st and 5ft, I was severely overweight for my height but I comforted myself with the knowledge that being big was just the way I was meant to be.

Adopted by a loving family as a baby, my adoption notes listed me as healthy but slightly overweight. I simply enjoyed food and it was a trait that lasted all the way through my childhood and into my teenage years. I’d scoff sweets and crisps, bought with my pocket money.

Sadly, my mum died when I was 14, so my dad was playing both roles. He’d cook starchy stews filled with potatoes and we’d always have ice cream or jelly to follow.