Same tree, NEW ME

A festive photo prompted Alanna Ferry to ditch her unhealthy habits

- SARAH WHITELEY

I tore away the glittery paper and grinned when I spotted the fluffy dressing gown inside. As I pulled it on, my husband Joe, then 37, took out his phone. But the last thing I wanted was to have this moment captured on camera. It was Christmas 2020, and I was miserable. At 5ft 4in, I’d been a size 8 most of my life. Even when I had my first two boys Lucian and Xavier in 2011 and 2013, I bounced quickly back into shape. But when I had Austin in 2015, I couldn’t shake off my baby weight. With three children under four and a job in the NHS working shifts, my eating habits changed.

Time for a change

Instead of sticking to three meals, I snacked constantly – sometimes getting through five chocolate bars a day, as well as two packets of crisps. From nowhere, I became an emotional eater. Whether I was stressed or smiling, I raided the fridge. Now I was a size 14, weighing 12st, and walking upstairs left me puffing and panting. My weight was all I thought about. I avoided mirrors, and whenever I was forced to be in a photo, I pulled the boys in front of me.