I’m a busy mum of two from the UK and up until a few years ago, I’d spent the best part of 20 years struggling with my weight and trying all manner of diets to try and get lean and healthy.

As a lifelong vegan, people are often surprised at that! But trust me, it is pretty easy to eat junk and gain weight while still sticking to a plant-based diet.

Following the birth of my first baby, I decided that the yo-yo dieting had to stop. No more raw diets, or intermittent fasting, or Slimming World, or counting calories or portion control. And I wasn’t going to be doing crazy workout regimes either! Nothing I’d tried had worked long term and I would always end up feeling guilty that I had run out of motivation after a few weeks or months.

In 2020 I was at my heaviest weight of 80kg (I am only 5’2). Being pregnant and a new mum had thrust me into a world of vegan junk foods, Ben and Jerry’s being my go-to. I felt heavy, uncomfortable, under-confident, tired all the time and low on energy.

I hid behind black baggy clothes and stopped taking pride in my appearance. It was during the first Covid lockdown  that I decided to take a really hard look at myself… and realised I was the only one who make a change!