Having dropped a load of puppy fat as a teenager I thought my days of being overweight were over - not so.  I started to gain again when I hit around 16yo and carried on despite being a generally healthy eater and active girl.  I hit rock bottom in spring 2006 when my weight got to an all time high.  Im not sure how much I weighed but I was a UK size 22 jeans (size 18US).  After a lot of hard work I managed to shift a little and get down to a UK size 18 but then couldn't get rid of any more.

I went to see my GP who put me on the diet drug Orlistat (Reductil).  Unfortunately he decided not to look at the bigger picture and rather than looking into why I only lost 4kg in 3 months on the drugs just called me a liar and said I was obviously eating crap all the time.

Needless to say I didnt go back to see him..... I carried on with my healthy eating plan but still couldnt shift any weight, even though I worked in a job on my feet all day, cycled to and from work every day and went to Pilates twice a week. 

Then in February this year (having moved to SA last August) I was diagnosed with having Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome by an amazing doctor.  It turns out that I have a genetic hormone imbalance which has caused almost every problem I have had since I was a teenager.  Since then I have been put on medication to control my insulin resistance and have lost 19lbs.  With 45lbs to go I feel like the end is in sight although I know theres still a fair slog ahead of me.  Hopefully one day I will be able to come off all of my medication and control my condition with a rigid diet, but until then I'm just glad I'm no longer sittign around consigning myself to being fat.