Finally fab at 30

I wasn’t prepared to start another decade being fat

- FIONA KINLOCH, LUCY NOTARANTONIO

Brushing a pile of hair to the corner of the salon floor, I propped the brush against the wall.

‘Lunchtime now then,’ I announced to my colleagues.

It was 2006 and, at the age of 16, I’d bagged myself an apprenticeship at a hairdresser’s. Every day was hectic.

But I always had something to look forward to – my lunch break.

A chippy, Indian takeaway and sweet shop all round the corner, I was spoilt for choice.

‘Fish and chips today, I smiled to myself as I walked out the door.

Even grabbed a few snacks for the afternoon slump, too.

But, over the next few years, it meant I really piled on the pounds.

By the time I turned 18, on New Year’s Day 2008, I was a size 18.

Bigger than all my pals.

I have to admit, I was used to that.

As a child, I’d always been the one to finish up the leftovers.

And now, as an adult, I just continued to get bigger and bigger.

By May 2008, standing at 5ft 7in, I was 18st 2lb and a size 20.

‘I’ve just had a gastric band fitted,’ a family friend proudly told me soon after.

‘It’s not a big op, maybe you should look into it.’

It’s the quick fix I need, I thought to myself.