Losing weight gave our marriage a new lease of life
Vicky Howe, 53, Bedfordshire
Tucking into a feast of bangers and mash, I gobbled up every last morsel. It was the late 1970s, I was 9, and we were taught never to waste food.
‘Clear your plate,’ my mum always said.
It helped that she was a brilliant cook.
She’d pile my plate high with hearty meals, and as well as sausages, Sunday roasts were my favourite.
As a result, I was a chubby kid.
I became more body conscious in my teens, pushing my plate away once I’d had enough.
‘That was delicious, but I’m full,’ I’d tell Mum.
By the time I met Daren on holiday in Tenerife in 1989, I was a size 12 and full of confidence.
We enjoyed date nights and seeing friends at weekends.
Plus Daren was an excellent cook, whipping up a delicious pasta dish, or steak and chips for dinner.
Enjoyed our fair share of Chinese takeaways, too.
And although at 5ft 6in I was smaller than 6ft 1in Daren, I’d match his portion sizes.
The weight crept on.
‘These are snug,’ I thought one morning, tugging the zip up on my jeans.
Daren was looking a bit cuddlier, too.
But we were too happy and in love to care.
After our daughter arrived in 2005, the reality of being a new mum hit me like a bus.
Lack of sleep had me reaching for sugary snacks to keep me going.
Daren and I easily polished off a packet of chocolate digestives a day.
And too tired to cook, we often reached for the takeaway menu.
Back at work as a receptionist, I’d feel my eyelids drooping in front of the computer screen.
Rustle open a chocolate bar for a boost.
I’ll lose the baby weight, eventually.
I lived in black leggings and a baggy black T-shirt, anything to hide myself.
Daren was growing in size, too.
Sure, I’d tried diets but somehow I always piled the weight back on, plus more.
I was miserable, my knees hurt, I had no energy and spent my free time napping.
Investing in scales, I tentatively stepped on...
Things continued for years as my daughter grew up.
She’d never seen me anything other than overweight. Still, I didn’t change my ways.
Until July 2022, when we needed something to look forward to after the pandemic.
‘Let’s go on holiday,’ I told Daren.
So we booked a family trip to Thailand for that autumn. Visiting temples, going on excursions and island hopping by boat.
Only it dawned on me.
How would I keep up with everyone?
I didn’t want to spend the whole time exhausted from lugging my big body around in the heat.
I’d heard about The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan.
Searching online I found di
