Like my mother I was very nervous. I had heard that there were limited spots in the programme and that I might not get in. I had also been scared that no one would take me seriously. I gained a nickname within minutes - Chipmunk - due to my ability to speak like one. The interview went on and I began to feel positive. This strange lady (sorry Jenny) that I knew nothing about seemed willing to stand up for my rights. I started to think "maybe this is the time I lose weight and keep it off". A few painfully slow days later, Chante called to tell us that I got in. I was incredibly happy. The programme started and we got our awesome gear (thanks Puma) and our workbooks (including food and exercise diary). Lots of tests were done. I went home that night and ate my last 'midnight snack' ever. The weeks progressed and I made friends (not something I expected) - by the end of it we were all like family. I was one of the oldies! When graduation day came, we had our final tests. Our weight had been monitored over the programme and this time, we had no clue what we had lost. When my turn to go up came, Monty announced that I'd lost 7.6 kilograms. I had already lost 1.8kg before the programme started so that made it 9.4 lost. Now, I have continued on and lost another 4 kilos since then and am up to 13.4 kg lost. At present, I have 1.9 kg until I reach my goal weight. My calorie count is 1500 (reduced three times from a starter of 2000). I learnt so much from the programme - one of the main things being that the journey is 80% diet and 20% exercise (80:20) and as I say, also 100% mental. I've hit a couple of snags as I've gone on but through Steps for Life I've become an athelete - a runner, a bit of a boxer, and a zumba instructor. I've also had friends in other countries ask what my secret is. As we all said in the rap - thank you for all you've done. And to anyone else out there - it is NEVER too late to change!
Lizzie - participant