Carolyn Underwood is half the woman she used to be. Just 14 months ago the 37-year-old weighed in at 116kg and wore size 22 jeans. Wearing the same jeans today the 61kg Matua beauty therapist fills just one leg. Her three children - Larissa, 12, Justin, 10 and Kyle, 8 - can fit into the pants at once.
Losing 55kg from February 2007 to April this year has landed Mrs Underwood a spot as one of six finalists - out of 200 heavyweights who entered - in the Weight Watchers 2008 Slimmer of the Year competition.
But it's taken a fair bit of huffing and puffing and holding back from the temptation of stuffing herself with delicious sweets to reach to her goal.
During her teens Mrs Underwood's mother helped her keep her weight down with healthy, reasonably sized home-cooked meals. But once she left home the fat started piling on due to a lack of exercise and over eating. Once she had children with husband Chris Underwood she became a stay-at-home mum while working part-time - exercise wasn't even on the agenda and deep-fried chips were.
Her self-esteem suffered, wearing baggy T-shirts and jeans everyday to hide any bumps and she avoided situations like going to the beach. She baked a lot of sweet temptations and often used a deep fryer to cook.
"I was an emotional eater," Mrs Underwood recalled. "Everything revolved around food. I was really lazy."
She didn't suffer from diabetes or other medical conditions but said she felt "deflated" - a fraction of the person, physically, socially and emotionally, she could be.
Around five years ago, when the family moved to the Bay from Rotorua, the penny dropped. "I was walking the kids to school and I felt like I was having a heart attack," she said. "I saw this 80-year-old guy with a walking stick walking up the hill better than me."
But it wasn't until 14 months ago that she finally decided to change her life and get slim by booking herself into Weight Watchers. Slowly cutting back on her food intake and gradually increasing her exercise she has shed 55kgs and is feeling great. She runs five times a week, has learned to say `no' to food and is cooking healthier meals.
"My self-esteem has inflated so much I feel like I could fly into the air," she said with a beaming smile. "I feel complete."
Mr Underwood said he is extremely proud of his wife and often has to double take to make sure it's her.
"Before there was no waking her up in the mornings, now she's up at 7.30 going for a 35-minute run," Mr Underwood said, admiring what he calls his "new wife".
Mrs Underwood's advice to people wanting to get healthy and lose pounds is "just do it". "Don't do it for your husband or your kids or your family, do it for you."
On June 30 a North and South Island finalist for Slimmer of the Year will announced and the winners will be flown to Sydney to go up against five Australian state finalists.
The NZ Slimmer of the Year will be announced on July 21.
From size 22 to 8 - Carolyn's a super slimmer
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