I decided to join Unislim when it got to the stage where I couldn’t fit into any of my clothes. I felt really bloated and realised that I needed to change my lifestyle. My good friend Pat O’Toole was already a member and she really inspired me to join up, too – it was such a support going along to the class with her and sharing the experience.

I had tried going to classes before, but when I went on my own it was too easy to skip a class if I felt I’d had a bad week and didn’t want to get weighed. But it’s so important to keep going back, even if you think you’ve slipped. My class leaders Stephanie and Fiona have been full of inspiration and have helped to balance everything out. You can make up for a bad week really quickly. I haven’t felt once that I’ve been missing out on anything since I joined last August, I still go out and enjoy myself. And I never feel hungry during the day – I’ll always remember Fiona saying to start the day with a glass of hot water and a squeeze of fresh lemon to get the metabolism going. I’ll follow that with a fresh fruit smoothie, plenty of green tea and a bowl of porridge – I need plenty of energy as I’m often working in our shop at 7am! Portion sizes are something I’ve become very aware of, too.

I now use smaller plates to judge more easily what I’m eating. I’ve never had a sweet tooth but I definitely have a savoury one so I do have to be careful. I’m a terrible nibbler which in the past was difficult owning a SPAR shop and being surrounded by food all day – now I make sure that I never sample any of the new products! My daughter is getting married next year and I’m looking forward to getting my outfit sorted. It’s great to have so much confidence in myself, now. Losing weight and dieting years ago used to mean rabbit food, but with a balanced healthy lifestyle it’s so much easier and not painful at all.

Stephanie Madden’s class in Killester is at St Pauls College, Sybil Hill, Tuesdays at 7.30pm