Fiona O'Donoghue had always struggled with her weight since she hit puberty.
Fiona was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease that means she is steroid dependent, and when she was put on steroids she began to gain weight.
Her specialist recommended diets, but restricting her food as someone who loved cooking and enjoying her meals was something that did not work for the Waterford woman.
Read more:Wicklow woman Grainne Reynolds lost almost two stone by breaking bad food habits
However, Fiona is now down almost four stone thanks to lifestyle changes and a non-restrictive food plan and feels better than ever.
Speaking to RSVP Live: "When I was going to a specialist, they were putting me on things like low GI diets and obviously they will work, but I'd be absolutely miserable. I think I would have lasted a week on one of them!
"I love food and I've always loved cooking, so nothing like that suited me."
However, the mum-of-two decided to join a gym, which helped her lose around two stone.
"I joined a gym thinking, if I exercise enough, I can eat what I want!" Fiona laughed. "And I did lose a couple of stone, it was close to two stone.
"I was going to a personal trainer and he was like, you have to start looking at your food now, because I plateaued then and nothing was happening."
Through friends and family, Fiona had heard about Slimming World and decided to give it a go.
"It sounded too good to be true, that you could eat pasta and potatoes and stuff," she said. "But it's just a new way of cooking - cutting back on oils and butters and those kind of thing. But I loved it because I didn't have to cut out any food groups, there was no calorie counting, it was just a lifestyle change."
Overall, Fiona has lost almost four stone and she is super active, even running 100k in 30 days for Breast Cancer Ireland.
For anyone embarking on a weight loss journey, she says joining a weight loss group such as Slimming World can make the world of difference.
"There's always a warm and friendly atmosphere waiting for you," she said. "There really is a community spirit."
You can follow Fiona's Instagram here, where she shares meal inspiration and updates.
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