FINDING MY SPARKLE AGAIN

As we move into a new year, Sarah Cullimore, 30, feels like a new woman

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Hiking across the beautiful Wick low Mountains, I suddenly stopped in my tracks. I’d realised something incredible: I was in front! Moments later, my partner Sebastian caught up with me. ‘Are you OK?’ he asked. I nodded, a bit tearfully, as it dawned on me how far I’d come. I was thinking back to the last time I’d hiked along this very spot. I’d been with a whole group of people, who all seemed to be striding along with ease, and I’d barely been able to take more than a few steps without getting breathless. In fact, I’d been quite pleased when I found myself trailing at the back, because it meant no one could hear me puffing and struggling. Now, five years later, I’d walked the 10km trail without a second thought – and I’d loved every step. 

I used to crave instant weight-loss results and give up when I didn’t get them. When I began wanting to lose weight in my early 20s, I thought restricting what I ate was the only answer. When diet after diet inevitably failed, I’d blame myself for having no willpower. My reaction to feeling so bad was to eat more, and I’d easily get through a familysize bag of crisps and bars of chocolate while watching movies in bed.

I smoked a lot, too – anything that numbed the pain of how useless I felt. From the outside, though, no one would have known what I was going through. I loved my job as a customer experience leader at a fast-food restaurant and was always cheerful around my team.