I think it all started with a tantrum,” laughs petite blonde Vicky Byrne, although at the time, it was no laughing matter. “I was getting ready to go out to a party, and none of my clothes fitted me. I had size 14s and refused to believe that I was really a good size 16. I was miserable.” Vicky didn’t go to the party that night, but instead, the next week, she joined Unislim, having been encouraged by a friend of hers who’d had great success with the slimming club. “I’d been to classes before, but this time I knew things were different,” she remembers. “For a start, my leader Anne Dixon was amazing. She was completely on my wavelength and was so honest and approachable. Speaking with her on that first week, I knew I could do this – lose the weight. And then there were all the others in the class who were an amazing support.” Vicky’s history with weight gain comes from battling the very painful condition of endometriosis, which affects hormone balance too.
“I actually ended up having a full hysterectomy at the age of 36 and really, I think for two years afterwards I just ate my way through it. I didn’t want to accept that I was going through the menopause early. My diet was appalling: no breakfast, sandwiches with crisps for lunch, lots of biscuits in between, and big, fatty dinners. I drank about three bottles of energy drinks daily too.“Everything changed once I started Unislim’s Forever Free plan. I thought I’d have to make changes gradually, but actually, once I started eating this way, it was so easy, and I never looked back. I changed completely. Now I eat loads! But I’ve substituted white bread for brown, crisps for Tayto Velvets, porridge for sugary cereal, and beers for Coors Light. I’ve cut down on butter and dressings and my evening dinners are now fish or chicken with loads of vegetables and perhaps some oven chips – not the stodgy curries of old.”
Vicky and husband Tony have a 6 year-old son, Killian, and even he has noticed the changes. “It’s funny, but when we’re in the supermarket, Killian will ask me, ‘Mummy, is this healthy?’. And his favourite dinner is now Unislim pizza, made on a wrap with passata and loads of fresh toppings.”It’s been quite a transformation for the Byrne household. “Yes, the deep fat fryer is gone, and so are all my larger clothes. I decided there was no going back, so I got rid of everything. Anyhow, now I can go into a clothes shop and buy whatever I like, not just what’ll fit.” And to show that Vicky really is walking the walk, she recently went on a three-week holiday to the USA, which included a one-week cruise, and returned at target. Her secret? “If ever we wanted a dessert, I shared a portion with Killian – it was more than enough for both of us.”
