Diet? What diet? Over the past few weeks my days have been filled with extra activities and now I feel as though I’ve gone through a life-changing experience!

It started when I had an afternoon to myself and some spare change. Between the onslaught of Sydney’s relentless heatwave and my personal battle with menopause, I felt I deserved a treat-In the past, shopping was usually the best medicine to wash-away any”blues”….not this time! I’d  stumbled upon a lovely little boutique, discreetly tucked-away within the bustling shopping mall and not a soul inside…perfect! Browsing through the “specials” rack I located a couple of nice items and quickly snapped them up on my way to the change-room…the shop owner was polite &  happy to offer her assistance, especially when I began to encounter problems with the clothes….they were lovely, but they looked awful on me! At first I blamed the mirrors, and no matter how persistent the woman was, I just wasn’t happy? It wasn’t the clothes, and it certainly wasn’t the shop’s mirrors…..in fact, the latter actually reflected the truth, and it scared me! Who was that person before me? I stood silently in the middle of the store, tears soon blurred my vision and all I wanted to was  run and hide!

Handing back the clothes I’d chosen, the shop owner suggested I try something else….something, in a larger size. Reluctantly I tried on her selection, paid for them and went straight home hoping my mood would lift once I began mixing & matching the new clothes, with what I had in my wardrobe. The bags were opened, the new clothes taken out and hung quickly into the cupboard…I knew they weren’t for me, so why did I waste money like that??

The following day, the realisation kicked-in…I’d allowed this woman to take advantage of my confusion! She had convinced me I wasn’t “fat”, that she had “seen far worse”……alarm bells were now blaring and it was right then I made the decision to get my life back!

As of yesterday, I have officially lost exactly 5 kilos! By sticking-with my personal plan, NO pills, NO meal-replacements…..cutting-out “take-away” [#1 BIG factor], no eating AFTER dinner, grazing on healthy-low-fat snacks, drinking HEAPS of water, chopping-out “fatty-foods” by changing the way I cook…plenty of fibre-foods, and plenty of exercise!! My goal is to lose 1kilo week-by-week until I’ve reached my ideal weight of 58 kilos!

My diet works, and it’s been alot of fun pushing myself everyday through each strenuous, calorie-burning routine! The day starts with my weights,followed by a light jog, brisk walking, jumping-jacks, long-jumps and squats- I’ve even created my own ‘dance-routine’, not Latin styled “zumba” , something that’s just as much fun and dynamic in style….DISCO!!! Yep! With my set of dumbbells, I’m shakin’ my booty with the help of some great disco classics, and burning the calories! Already down a dress-size, I’m proof that it’s not about the type of  “diet”, it’s how you approach it! Healthier, by choice!