What were your weight-control goals?

When I met my now husband, we started out having running dates but rapidly that changed to eating and drinking too much and doing very little exercise. Consequentially we both got fat! We didn't seem to really pay attention to the problem though, rather we continued to enable each other to stay fat.

What motivated you to lose weight?

One day, some three years later, after a work party, I was looking at the photos from the night and got a good look at my butt from behind. I was shocked. I went home and I got onto the scales and looked down to see '89kgs' staring back at me. That was it for me. I had previously spent most of my life somewhere between 65 and 70 kilos, depending on what was happening in my life. I had never experienced being so big. I couldn't keep doing that to myself, I realised and I made the decision to get my life back on track.

What was your weight-loss method?

It took me a little less than a year to get to my original goal weight of 65 kilos. During that time my main strategy was to count calories and exercise religiously. The fine details of the approach changed from time to time. The more I learned the more things became more refined. Also, the more weight I lost, the more options I had available to me. One of the biggest things for me was that I started running. I had never been a good runner and although I had tried to run in the past, I could never run for long at any one time. I followed the Couch to 5k program and that definitely helped the weight fall off. Now I am training for marathons.

What were some obstacles you encountered while losing weight?

The hardest thing I found was that although I made the decision to lose weight, my husband hasn't yet done so. When I decided to change things, he had just started working a FIFO job so I had 4 weeks at a time I could devote to losing weight. When he came home for his week off though, I found I would slip. We would be partners in crime and I would usually stall my weight loss while he was home. I struggled with that at first but eventually I gave in to it and accepted that my weight loss would be a little slower than it could be, but I don't want to alienate my husband either.

What tips do you have for others who are trying to lose weight?

The only tips I really have are to find an activity that you enjoy that gets your heart rate up. A 30 minute walk each day really isn't enough. And weigh every morsel of food you eat and record the calories. There is no room for guesswork if you want to seriously lose weight. And the only other thing is, learn everything you can about the way your body works. Do you retain fluid at certain times of your menstrual cycle? Does sodium blow you up? What balance of cabs/protein/fat works best for you? Nothing works for everyone. But something will definitely work for you. Oh, and another thing: Forget shakes, meal replacements, starving yourself and anything that has the word 'diet' in the title. Just find the balance between calories in/calories out. It works.

How do you feel now that you've lost weight?

I feel like my old self again. I didn't realise how unhappy I had become with myself. I am happy with me again.

How have the products or services offered by CalorieKing.com.au helped you to lose weight?

CalorieKing university is great and the desktop software is also great!