“I feel like ‘me' and that's what counts most.”

The Gain

“If I’m honest, I’ve had two weight-loss journeys,” admits Marlaine. She first gained weight during her relationship and then after the birth of her first child. In 2013 she lost 13 kilos, but when she quit smoking, she gained back seven. Her weight stabilised for the next few years until she had her second child. “I had a plan to eat healthily and to exercise throughout my pregnancy, but my first trimester hit me really hard. I felt sick all the time and had no energy, so I rested a lot and did no exercise. I then started craving all the things, like potato chips and rolls and so on. I gained 15 kilos and became so lazy,” she explains.

After the birth of her second daughter, Marlaine reached her heaviest weight of 95kg. “I binged on a lot of takeaways and I was crazy-obsessed with hot chips. I would sometimes snack late at night [on chips] or other things even after dinner, just because I was lus for something.”

The Change