Maria's story

How much weight have you lost and how long did it take?

Since joining Nutracheck, I have lost 13st 1lbs183lbs83kg in total – it took me 18 months.

What prompted your decision to lose weight?

At work, we take residents out every day, and they enjoy going to certain cafes, which have tables with fixed chairs &ndash and I couldn't sit at these tables because I was too big to squeeze in. It's important to stay motivated with patients, yet here I was, struggling to even sit with them. I knew I needed to lose a lot of weight. I also had health issues...

How did you hear about Nutracheck?

Thank goodness for the internet! I knew counting calories worked, so I searched online for 'calorie counting', and the results brought up something called Nutracheck. After a bit of research, I knew this could work for me.

I used to write down everything I ate but it wasn't always easy to find and record calories accurately, so having the Nutracheck app do all the calculations made it so easy.

I had tried all kinds of diet plans and found them confusing and hard to follow. I also felt that I was being 'punished' whenever I tried to lose weight: being constantly told what not to eat isn't very inspiring – Nutracheck's not like that!

Has your weight stayed fairly consistent over the years, or have you always had to manage it?

I was large as a child and have always been a big eater – and the weight stayed with me and came to dominate my adult life. Before I joined Nutracheck, I weighed around 28 stone and my self-esteem was very low. I felt at rock bottom.

From the day I joined Nutracheck, I was on a mission. I set myself a target, which was to lose a lot of weight: I knew what I needed to do.

How easy was it to fit the changes you made into your lifestyle?

I found the Nutracheck approach really easy to fit into my busy lifestyle, and I was very motivated because I could see my body shape changing. I attend the gym 2-4 times a week, I used to concentrate mainly on cardio, but now it's 50:50 as I am now working a lot more with weights to try and tone up.

Now, I can fit in one leg of my old gym trousers, and I love being able to walk into a shop and just buy any clothes I want. The compliments made me feel even better, and the weight was still coming off easily!

What was the most difficult thing?

I must admit that the most challenging thing was altering my portion size. No one had ever told me how big a 'portion' actually is. I also had to remember to make sensible food choices: those chips might look good, but there's always a better choice.

How do you feel now compared to before?

Since losing this weight, my confidence has improved and I don't hesitate to go anywhere; before I was so afraid of being judged because of my size. People continue to stop and tell me how fantastic I'm looking, my health has improved dramatically and I don't feel like I'm 30 – I feel like a teenager again!

I started this journey as a size 30/32, and I'm down to a size 14/16, which I'm happy with for now. The only downside to losing so much weight is that it has left me with quite a lot of excess skin around my tum, my underarms and my thighs.

Any non-scale victories?

I'm in a new relationship and I love being outside walking in the fresh air which I hated before. I managed to climb Pen y Fan in April – it's 886 metres high and is the highest peak in South Wales. I found it much easier than I thought and I can't wait for new challenges.

I'm determined to keep the weight off – my goal now is to get rid of this excess skin – and I'm remaining focused and positive. I always offer my support and help to anyone who comes to me asking for advice. I have had many people who I have not met before see my story and progress through other peoples Facebook profiles, who have added me looking for help.

What 3 tips would you give to anyone who has weight to lose?

1. If you want it, have it – just cut something out later. That way you won't get cravings.
2. Get used to sugar free drinks: I hated them – but now they taste good.
3. Always fry with Frylight.

UPDATE: Read about Maria's 4 year maintenance milestone.