Name: Josephine Doherty

From: Donegal, living in Dublin

Was: 12 stone

Now: 10 stone 4 pounds

Lost: 1 stone 10 pounds

Leaders: Mary Donoghue/Claire Byrne

“I had always been somewhat overweight; I had even been to Weight Watchers before and got to my goal weight.

“The problem was that as soon as I reached my target I stopped going to the class and fell back in to all my old habits – it was a hard lesson. I found myself at the point where, yet again, I was feeling uncomfortable in my own skin and I needed to do something about it, so I rejoined.

“This time around I realised that I needed the support of being in a class. Even though I had been through it all before, I was back to the point of educating myself about food – learning about portion sizes as well as what was good for my body and what wasn’t.

“I began to experiment with food and became a very good cook in the process. I bulked out all my meals with vegetables and learned how to make them really tasty. I became quite active, doing aerobics and trying new things that I hadn’t done before, like Zumba. I also run regularly. Exercise really lifts your spirits and motivates you to eat better.

“I didn’t find it difficult because I was starting to feel so good about myself, and that in itself was enough to motivate me to keep going. There were times when I had a bad day, or a bad week, but I learned just to draw a line under it and carry on. I think it’s so important, that even when you feel you’ve gone off the rails, you still show up to class, because if you don’t, a week can run into two weeks and then into a month and you’re back to where you started.

“I got engaged to Garett in 2012, by which point I had reached my goal and was maintaining it. We got married back home in Donegal. I loved my dress – it was quite fitted and I felt amazing in it. My arms and back were quite exposed, and it was so great to feel comfortable in what I was wearing rather than feeling like I had to pull myself in all the time. For our honeymoon we went to Canada and did a cruise around Alaska, it was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“Being at my goal weight is great, because now I can look at clothes in a magazine or a shop window and know that I can wear them. It used to be that I’d go into a fitting room and get annoyed because something didn’t fit well and then go and console myself with a cake. Now I can wear what I like and keep up with all the current fashion trends. It’s also lovely to look forward to events like weddings and Christmas so I can buy new outfits.

“I still go to class as much as I can and I even go back over the book now and again, just to remind myself. I had two leaders throughout as I was in two different classes – Claire and Mary – and both of them were wonderful; they are real people who have done it themselves, so they know exactly what it’s like.

“To me, Weight Watchers is, without a doubt, the best plan out there and the only way to go.”

For further information, visit

www.weightwatchers.ie CL