(over 2st) in one year. Then, as a student in Sydney, I tucked into unhealthy cheap food and started drinking. By my early 20s, at 5ft 7ins, I weighed 75 kg (11st 11lb). I did no exercise and the diet would always start “tomorrow”.
My late 20s and 30s were focused on my career in HR, working in Hong Kong and Singapore for 17 years. I worked hard, played hard and loved cocktails with my gay pals and girlfriends.
Even though I had a boyfriend who was super health conscious, it never rubbed off on me. Waiters always assumed the salad was for me and the burger for him. I’d laugh as if to stubbornly prove I was a fun-loving woman who didn’t fret about calories.
, but I did have my entire thyroid removed. My surgeon said, “it will be much harder to lose weight with no thyroid, which is going to change your metabolism”.
Thankfully, I recovered well. I knew I should take better care of myself, but that doctor’s comment made me accept I’d always be overweight.
I bought gym memberships then never went, or half-heartedly counted calories but comfort ate on the side. Now, I wish I’d prioritised my health.
.
While shopping in M&S in 2019, I slipped on the floor crashing onto my left elbow, dislocating it and smashing the radial head, radius and ulna bones. I also tore several ligaments and severed the nerves in my hand. Drastic injuries for just a fall on a shop floor, right? But because of all my excess weight the doctor likened the impact to falling off a motorbike at speed. For 12 months the arm was useless – my friends even had to wash me initially, and I needed a lot of physio. Once again food was my comfort.
Then, in 2021, my mum died. There was even more emotional eating as I grieved.
and was diabetic.
. Was this my life now?
I felt beyond disappointed in myself.
The doctors gave me two months to shift some weight or I’d be put on medication, likely forever. That was the push I needed to finally take responsibility for the life I wanted to live.
I signed up with the fitness company Ultimate Performance in November 2022 after colleagues recommended it. It wasn’t cheap but I was given a trainer who supported me 24/7, looking after everything from my workouts and diet to my daily step count. Most importantly, he helped me understand my behaviour.
Walking into that gym for the first time was intimidating, made worse by my ancient shorts and 10-year-old sports bra. But with 35kg (more than 5st) to shed, I had to start somewhere. It wasn’t going to be an overnight transformation, my trainer explained. Often I would get stroppy and say, “I can’t do this,” but his belief in me made the difference and having a routine made all the difference.
three times a week, starting at just 4kg for a dumbbell shoulder press ( I can now lift 13kg).
Of course, dramatic changes to my diet were also needed. Bacon butties and food with decadent sauces went, and I started eating a lot more fruit and veg. Lunches became salads with protein; dinners were things like steak and vegetables. I cut down on carbohydrates, so they only made up 30 per cent of my diet, and rarely ate potatoes or pasta, choosing brown rice instead. Milky lattes were replaced by black coffee. Instead of wine, my treat became vodka, soda and fresh lime. I started cooking for myself to control the ingredients.
After three months I’d lost 12 inches and was down to 88kg; after six months I’d shed 23 inches and was 75.5kg and a size 12. After a year I weighed 65kg and was a size 10 and started running in Hyde Park.
Every two weeks I was weighed, measured and photographed. Seeing visible progress really spurred me on.
I reached my target weight of 59kg in June 2024 and my God that felt good. I now wear size 8-10 and don’t dress like a frumpy middle-aged woman.
Going shopping – knowing they’ll have my size – is pure joy.
) but I can’t lie – being complimented on my appearance feels very nice, thank you. The best compliment definitely is that I look 10 years younger.
I was nervous about sharing my story, I don’t like to show off, but I felt so strongly that as women in our 50s we can feel like life is over. We are told once you hit menopause to expect the tummy roll and that mobility will get harder. I was determined that I was not going to spend the rest of my life on the couch watching TV and getting bigger. I wanted to be active, attractive and be my authentic fun-loving self again.
I haven’t touched wine – or, for that matter, a chicken-and-leek pie – in 18 months and I don’t miss it. I have the occasional glass of champagne because it’s low in calories. And I am doing my first Hyrox race in December, at 53! I really am so proud of my achievements, I finally feel I can celebrate myself.
Meals before
: Bacon and egg butty, latte
: Sandwiches, such as chicken schnitzel with mayo and lettuce
: Creamy pasta and sticky toffee pudding
: Cake, crisps, chocolate biscuits
Meals after
Fruit, yogurt, poached eggs
Chicken and salad, or tuna with wholemeal pitta and salad
Beef, vegetables, brown rice
Fruit, nuts, homemade protein cake, rice cakes, hummus
Rani’s weight loss tips
Think positively
Small steps are the key: find a way to celebrate what you have achieved – even just showing up – instead of what you haven’t yet done. The little wins all add up to a big result.
Allow some treats
A small chunk of dark chocolate or a bite of a friend’s pudding will sate your appetite. Once you start seeing results you won’t want to undo them by eating the whole thing.
Cut back on alcohol
You don’t have to give it up entirely, but find a tipple you like and moderate it. Now all my friends know to order me a vodka and soda and I will not have more than two.
Keep a food diary
Seeing it all written down, on an app like MyFitnessPal, really makes you see where the hidden calories are – and how to avoid them. Also, however unflattering the pictures are (mine are bad), keep them to spur you on.
Get moving
Even if you can’t get to the gym, just walk. I walk everywhere now.
As told to Susanna Galton
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