'We lost HALF our weight': So how did these women do it? And how are they going to avoid putting it all back on?

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PUBLISHED:21:25 GMT, 17 May 2012 UPDATED:12:41 GMT, 18 May 2012

From counting calories to meal replacement shakes or gastric band operations, many women will stop at nothing to lose weight. As the pounds drop off, they feel sensational. But all too often the weight creeps slowly back on. Here, three women who each lost half their bodyweight tell the story of their incredible weight loss - and how they plans to stay slim forever.

Michelle Arthur, 45, runs a commercial cleaning business and lives in East Sussex with husband John, 53, a construction company boss, daughter Isobel, 17, and son James, eight. Height: 5ft 10in. Heaviest weight: 22st 8lb. Size 30. Weight now: 11st 4lb. Size 10/12.

I always worried that my daughter might be teased for having such a big mother. She never said anything, but I hope I wasn’t too much of an embarrassment to her.

My weight problems started early and I remember tipping the scales at more than 13st when I was just 15. My sisters were both slim and neither of my parents was fat.

But whenever I was stressed or anxious I would turn to food and feel briefly better. However, being fat made me feel much worse about myself.

I tried every diet there is but I couldn’t stick with them. I’ve got a strong work ethic and had more energy than most, but everything I did took a lot of effort.

I’d have to climb stairs one at a time and coming down I’d need to walk sideways, holding onto the bannister.

Getting stuck in restaurant chairs was embarrassingly commonplace. I also developed a painful foot condition, caused by being twice the weight I should have been. Nobody ever said anything to me, though. When you’re overweight, people avoid the subject.

For me food was definitely an addiction. I’d have normal meals during the day but after 9pm, once the children were in bed, I would eat non-stop.

I could polish off four slices of bread and butter, followed by a couple of bowls of cereal and three bags of crisps. I’d eat in the kitchen so my husband wouldn’t notice.

I met John at the age of 21 when we were both working at a holiday camp in Devon. I weighed 15st 7lb so I wasn’t exactly skinny, but I was very outgoing. I gained and lost several stone over the 12 years that followed before our wedding in 1999, when I’d slimmed down to 15st.

My husband never said anything hurtful but I wasn’t daft enough to ask if he thought I was fat. I only needed to look in the mirror for the answer.

I started the Lighter Life programme a year ago. As well as replacing your normal diet with meals, drinks, shakes, bars and soups, you receive counselling to help you work out why you overeat.

I ate when stressed or anxious, so worked on other ways to deal with those emotions. I also started aerobics and Pilates, as well as lots of walking, and the weight fell off. In February, I reached my goal weight,ralph lauren, 11st 4lb — meaning I’m exactly half the woman I was. It felt wonderful when I tried on an old pair of jeans and could fit both my legs into one trouser leg.

Now when I see photographs of myself I think: ‘That can’t be me, that’s a slim person.’ My head has not yet caught up with my body.

I intend to keep the weight off by exercising like a loony. I do around ten hours of walking and aerobics classes every week. I also keep portion sizes small and limit the number of carbohydrates I eat. But I’m only human and sometimes do over-indulge.

Occasionally, I catch my husband looking at me and smiling. He would never say he fancies me more than he used to, but who wouldn’t prefer a racehorse to a tired old donkey?

Jenny Harkness, 26, a beauty therapist, lives in Staffordshire with partner, Chris Taylor, 32, a parts advisor for Harley Davidson, and their daughter Jasmine,ralph lauren, one. Height: 5ft 10in. Heaviest weight: 21st, Size 26. Weight now: 10st 4lb, Size 10.

Wherever I went people would stare and snigger as I walked past. I’d pretend I hadn’t noticed, but it really hurt.

Once I was in a Chinese takeaway queue when a male customer said: ‘You really don’t need to be in here, do you?’ I was so embarrassed I wanted to disappear into a hole.

It’s wrongly assumed that heavy people are greedy and lazy. But my weight problems began at 11 when my parents divorced and I turned to food for comfort. Cakes, biscuits and crisps briefly made me feel better but the feeling didn’t last.

It affected everything. I was in a relationship with a dreadful man but my self-esteem was so low I didn’t have the confidence to leave,longchamp selfridges.

And, although I’ve always been good at what I do, I struggled to get jobs. Looking back,I realise that employers would take one look at me and assume I must be lazy — and not a great advert for beauty therapy.

I knew I needed to cut back on the huge meals and junk I ate, but it just felt impossible.

My epiphany finally came five years ago when I was rushed into hospital with a major asthma attack.
Doctors said my heart was under great strain, my blood pressure too high and they feared I was going to have a stroke. I lay in hospital wearing an oxygen mask thinking: ‘I don’t want to die in my 20s,longchamp.’

Soon after being discharged I joined Slimming World and over the next 18 months lost 8st 7lb, getting down to 12st 7lb. For years I’d been eating up to 5,000 calories a day. Takeaway pizzas and chips for dinner were often followed by five bags of crisps.

On the Slimming World diet I ate normal, healthy meals — scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast, jacket potato with beans and half-fat cheese for lunch and spaghetti bolognese in the evenings. I also did karate twice a week and the weight fell off.

Then an incredible thing happened: I discovered I was pregnant.

I’d only been dating Chris, who I’d met at a party, for a few months and had previously been told by my GP that my periods were so erratic, due to my weight, that I was likely to have problems conceiving.

Giving birth to our daughter in September 2010 was the best bonus ever. I kept going to Slimming World meetings during my pregnancy and only gained 1st 7lb, which took me to 14st. Since Jasmine’s birth I’ve lost more weight and now weigh 10st 4lb. I no longer have asthma or high blood pressure,Mulberry handbags.

I decided to go back to work when Jasmine was nearly one and found a job in a salon in no time.
My relationship has gone from strength to strength — Chris never tires of praising my new figure. Since getting down to a size 10 I have a new-found passion for lingerie which certainly adds to our love life,ralph lauren outlet.

I still attend Slimming World classes and get weighed every week. I have no intention of stopping because I couldn’t bear to be big again. I’m also following their maintenance diet, so I cook from their recipes and if I want to treat myself I eat Snack-a-Jacks instead of crisps or a mini Milky Way, rather than a big Mars Bar.

It feels great being half the woman I was.

Sally Lawrence, 50, a clerical assistant, lives in West Sussex with husband Martin, 55, a site engineer. They have two daughters, Emma,ralph lauren uk, 32, and Katie, 27, and two grandchildren. Height: 5ft 4in. Heaviest weight: 25st. Size 32. Weight now: 11st 12lb. Size 14.

For most of my adult life I was twice the size I should have been — it was like carrying an extra person around.

I was a chubby teenager and when I got married, aged 18, I already weighed 15st. I’d met my husband when I was just 13. He was the DJ at our local youth club and all the girls fancied him. I was already a big girl and couldn’t believe my luck when he chose me,christian louboutin sale.

He’s a wonderful man. When you’re severely overweight, it’s a cruel world. But whenever I complained about being fat, Martin would always say: ‘Don’t be daft, you look lovely.’

Over the next 30 years the pounds piled on and dieting seemed futile as the weight always went back on.

At 25st I looked like a beached whale, so it was hard to believe Martin was still attracted to me. I’d say: ‘You could get a girl much slimmer than me,’ and he’d say: ‘It’s you I love.&#8217,mulberry factory shop;

The main problem was my night-time eating. I was restrained during the day because I couldn’t bear colleagues commenting on how much I ate. Two men in the canteen used to whistle the Laurel and Hardy theme tune whenever I walked by with my slim colleague.

But in the evenings I’d polish off a packet of biscuits with a cup of tea. Before going out for dinner I’d eat a couple of sandwiches. On the way home, I’d stop for a kebab. I even hid how much I ate from Martin and the girls. I was obsessed with food and never felt full.

Travelling to Turkey for a holiday a couple of years ago, when I was a size 32, the air stewardess told me I had to move from the emergency exit because I was considered disabled. It was so humiliating I couldn’t stop crying.

Fourteen months later, in November 2010, I finally took the drastic step of a gastric bypass operation.

My stomach is now the size of an egg, which means I can eat only a fraction of what I used to.
Within a year, I’d lost around 10st. Since then the weight has come off more slowly and even though it would be possible to stretch my stomach through overeating I would never do that. It was such a major operation that I have to take my weight loss very seriously.

The only sweet stuff I allow myself now is two Rich Tea biscuits a day, to curb any sugar cravings, and my portion sizes are smaller than a child’s. I also need to take multi-vitamins to get sufficient nutrients.

I don’t really miss food. I’ve finally reached a stage where my health is more important. I feel reborn.
Martin didn’t want me to have the surgery because he worried about the risk. But he quite literally stuck by me through thick and thin &#8212,longchamp handbags; and is thrilled I’m finally healthy and happy.

We went back to Turkey recently and the flight was so different to the first one that we were both in tears. A passenger asked if we’d lost someone close and we explained that we were actually crying tears of joy. It was a bit like losing that 13st ‘person’ I had been lugging around.

Out shopping this weekend I spotted a friend I haven’t seen in a while. When I said ‘Hello’ she jumped back and said: ‘Oh my lord, I didn’t recognise you, Sally.’

The very best thing about being half the size is that I can now get down on the floor and play with my grandchildren, Alfie, four, and Daisy, two.

'Falklands poll is nothing but a publicity stunt': Argentina claims landmark referendum on whether islanders should stay British will be ignored worldwide

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PUBLISHED:12:45 GMT,ghd straighteners, 5 March 2013 UPDATED:02:00 GMT,polo ralph lauren uk, 6 March 2013

Argentina yesterday dismissed the Falkland Islands referendum as an illegitimate ‘publicity stunt’.

But Alicia Castro, Argentina’s ambassador to Britain, was criticised for her ‘offensive’ comments days before islanders hold their first vote on whether they want to remain British.

The historic referendum, which is being held this weekend, will be overseen by international observers. It is expected to send a clear message to Argentina to keep its hands off.

Britain has insisted that those living on the Falklands &#8211,cheap christian louboutin; called Las Malvinas by Buenos Aires – have the right to decide which country they want to govern them. Britain triumphed when the two nations fought a ten-week war after Argentina invaded the islands in 1982.

Miss Castro said: ‘This referendum has no legal grounds. It’s not approved,ralph lauren uk, nor will it be recognised by the United Nations or the international community, so this referendum is little more than a public relations exercise.

‘This referendum in no way changes the essence of the Malvinas question and its predictable result will not bring an end to the dispute.’ Miss Castro also warned that UK firms would find it difficult to drill for oil off the windswept South Atlantic outcrop unless there were better ties to the rest of South America.

But Ian Liddell-Grainger, the Tory vice-chairman of the Falkland Islands All-Party Parliamentary Group, said: ‘The Falkland Islands is part of the UK and the population has wanted this opportunity to clarify their position,Mulberry sale.

‘They want to show the strength of feeling that they wish to stay linked to Britain,longchamp. It is neither right nor fair for Argentina to keep claiming that the referendum is illegitimate. Argentina would be quite offended if we interfered in their referendums or votes.’

Britainsays the islanders have a right to self-determination, and insists theybe present at any talks with Argentina over the future of the islands, but Buenos Aires says the matter should only be discussed by two sovereign states.

'The Argentine government has alreadydismissed the referendum before it has even taken place, a position that runs counter to the universal principles of democracy and self-determination,' a British Foreign Office spokesman said.

Argentinasees the Falklands' roughly 3,000 inhabitants as foreign implants and has compared them to Israeli settlers on land Palestinians want for a future state.

'We hope that the outcome of this referendum will demonstrate beyond doubt the views of the people of the Falklands and whether or not they wish to remain a British Overseas Territory,' the Foreign Office spokesman added.

Argentina has ramped up its claims tothe islands, where oil exploration firms are expected to produce their first oil in 2017,ralph lauren sale, and last month Argentina's foreign minister visited London but did not meet his British counterpart.

Regional trading bloc Mercosur, whichincludes Argentina, Brazil,louboutins, Paraguay and Uruguay, has banned Falklands-flagged ships from docking at their ports.

'Oilexploration is feasible, but oil exploitation is unfeasible ,louboutin uk... Imagineif a spill happens there in some remote islands 8,000 miles from here ... with no proper link to the continent, without doctors, logistics,polo ralph lauren sale, engineers,' Castro said.

Argentinehostility has not deterred oil companies. Rockhopper Exploration has formed a $1 billion partnership with Premier Oil to pump oil from its find north of the islands.

Tycoon accused of taking ?300m from British investors faces freeze on assets after failing to build luxury homes

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PUBLISHED:22:00 GMT, 2 March 2013 UPDATED:16:40 GMT,louboutin shoes, 3 March 2013

A businessman accused of taking ,cheap ghd straighteners?300&#8201,Mulberry handbags;million of British investors’ money – and failing to build thousands of luxury properties – could be forced to stop trading this week.

Former bankrupt David Ames is alleged to have collected millions of pounds for ambitious building projects in the Caribbean and Brazil, but less than 300 properties have so far been built.

Legal papers will be lodged at the High Court in Birmingham on Tuesday to freeze the assets of Harlequin Property and its directors in an attempt to claw back money for worried investors.

It is understood that Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs’ pensions regulator is also poised to act if a judge’s ruling is made on Friday.

A Mail on Sunday investigation has discovered that Harlequin Property &#8211,christian louboutin uk; which has paid tennis star Pat Cash to feature in its promotional material – last month failed to make interest payments to investors who took out loans for deposits,longchamp handbags.

Now hundreds of financial advisers, who convinced investors to cash in their pensions,cheap christian louboutin, have been given just two days by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) to confirm if any of their clients have SIPP investments in the Essex-based firm, and a further three days to provide all details.

SIPPs are a personal pension plan allowing individuals to cash in their pension to invest in schemes such as property abroad.

A source close to the investigation said: &#8216,ralph lauren uk;This is a frightening situation for hundreds of investors,longchamp bag, who could lose everything.’

An FSA spokesman said: ‘We are trying to establish the levels of pensions held with Harlequin.’

Harlequin Property is not regulated by the FSA so there would be no protection to UK investors should the scheme collapse.

Last week The Mail on Sunday revealed the Serious Fraud Office had been asked to investigate the company amid fears that it had mis-sold investments.

Mr Ames, 61, who runs the company with wife Carol, also 61, and son Daniel, 35,cheap ghd, from a business park in Basildon, Essex, last week issued a strongly worded denial concerning ‘grossly misleading&#8217,Mulberry sale; claims of fraud.

In a letter sent to investors and agents last Monday, Mr Ames claimed allegations of fraud investigations were ‘politically motivated’.

Harlequin Property investor groups have been organising meetings across the country and plan to launch a series of lawsuits for breach of contract.

Gareth Fatchett of Regulatory Legal Solicitors, which represents a group of investors, said: ‘We have uncovered evidence which makes us very concerned at the financial wellbeing of potentially thousands of investors.

‘Investors were promised totally unrealistic returns on their investments. Now the excuses are running out for Harlequin Property as to why they have not been able to build these resorts, not to mention what has happened to the money invested.’

A spokesman for Harlequin Property said: ‘Harlequin is aware there was an administrative error in relation to some payments – and we are instructed that these are in the process of being addressed and rectified.

‘Those affected have been contacted.’

Storytime,Mulberry sale! Ginnifer Goodwin poses with a children's book as she joins Julie Bowen at charity event

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PUBLISHED:23:48 GMT, 10 March 2013 UPDATED:23:51 GMT,christian louboutin shoes, 10 March 2013

She stars in the Snow White-inspired television series Once Upon A Time,ralph lauren uk.

So it was an easy feat for Ginnifer Goodwin to show off her fairy tale skills at the Milk + Bookies Fourth Annual Story Time Celebration at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The fresh faced 34-year-old carried along a book on her hip as she walked the red carpet in a boyish blue striped button up dress and matching black blazer.

The pixie-haired brunette is enjoying a successful second season as Mary Margaret Blanchard/Snow White in ABC's Once Upon a Time, which features fairytale characters as they're cast into the real world.

Also on hand was Modern Family actress Julie Bowen,longchamp uk, who carried along a large blue handbag big enough to bring along school lunches for all her famous friends,ghd sale.

The mother-of-three looked radiant in a yellow striped sweater and cropped blue denim trousers.

Despite being daylight savings time and losing an hour of sleep, House of Cards actress Constance Zimmer stirred up her five-year-old daughter Colette Zoe Lamoureux to take part in a bit of drawing and arts and crafts.

The family fun celebration featured a litany of celebrity readers including actors Don Cheadle,longchamp handbags, Max Greenfield, Chris Messina,louboutin uk, Jayma Mays and director J.J,longchamp. Abrams.

The famous faces also took part in arts and crafts and of course indulged in a feast of milk and cookies,Mulberry sale.

Ginnifer tweeted her support for the event,mulberry bayswater, which also promotes kindness and giving back.

She wrote: 'More luv 4 a group that gives [and] encourages reading!'

Special Forces 'dirty wars' veteran named as the man sent by General Petraeus to Iraq to set up 'torture' centers

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PUBLISHED:04:32 GMT,longchamp, 7 March 2013 UPDATED:07:20 GMT, 7 March 2013

The Pentagon dispatched a shadowy veteran of their 'dirty wars' in 1980s Central America to train the sectarian militia units in Iraq that allegedly tortured and killed tens of thousands of people.

Colonel James Steele, a 58-year-old veteran special forces retiree was sent by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in 2004 to utilize his expertise in counter-insurgency a special investigation by newspaper of the UK claims.

Accompanying Steele, who worked as an advisor in El Salvador's bloody civil war of the 1980s was retired Colonel James H. Coffman, who reported directly to former CIA director and retired General David Petraeus.

Allegedly inseparable, Steele and Coffman both oversaw operations at Iraqi detention centers, and Coffman described himself as the decorated general's 'eyes and ears out on the ground'.

It is the first time that Petraeus - whoresigned in November from the CIA after a sex scandal - has been implicated through a subordinate to torture in Iraq, which was brought to the brink of all-out civil war by the sectarian Shia commando units who ran amok across the country after the U.S. invasion of 2003.

The 15-month long joint examination was launched after reporters trawled through the classified U.S. military documents released by Bradley Manning which ended up as part of Wikileaks.

Manning, 25, is likely to be sentenced to 20-years in jail after he confessed to leaking the documents.

According to the probe, in 2004, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld picked 58-year-old retired special forces veteran and counter-insurgency specialist Colonel James Steele to assist in creating Shia militia's to crush Sunni insurgents backed with millions of U.S. dollars.

Keen to exact revenge against Sunni's who backed Saddam Hussein's brutal regime,polo ralph lauren uk, the U.S. backed Special Police Commando (SPC) units set up secret detention centers where bloody and gruesome sectarian torture was acted out,Mulberry.

Colonel Steele answered directly to Rumsfeld and his right hand man was Colonel Hoffman,Mulberry handbags, who reported directly to General Petraeus,mulberry factory shop, who was at the time training the post-Saddam Iraq security forces.

But according to American and Iraqi witnesses interviewed for the explosive piece, the two military consultants and Petraeus either saw or knew about the deadly daily torture of detainees who were in SPC custody.

'They knew everything that was going on there,' Iraqi General Muntadher al-Samari, who worked with Steele and Coffman to organize the commandos according to

Claiming that Steele and Coffman worked 'hand in hand', al-Samari said that he never saw either them alone and came into contact with them about 50 times.

'They knew everything that was going on there ... the torture, the most horrible kinds of torture,' said al-Samari to the British newspaper.

Apparently, the investigation uncovered no evidence at all that Steele or Coffman tortured prisoners themselves, but still claims they were present at detention centers where it happened.

One witness, photographer Gilles Peress, said that he encountered Steele while on assignment for the New York Times at one of the detention centers in the Iraq city of Samarra.

'We were in a room in the library interviewing Steele and I'm looking around I see blood everywhere,' said Peress to

New York Times reporter Peter Maass accompanied Peress and said,'while this interview was going on with a Saudi jihadi with Jim Steele also in the room, there were these terrible screams, somebody shouting: 'Allah, Allah, Allah!' But it wasn't kind of religious ecstasy or something like that,christian louboutin sale, these were screams of pain and terror.'

Steele,cheap ghd, who now works as a motivational speaker did not respond to any questions put to him during the course of the report and Coffman declined to comment,mulberry bayswater.

An official, who spoke on behalf of General Petraeus said, 'During the course of his years in Iraq, General Petraeus did learn of allegations of Iraqi forces torturing detainees. In each incident, he shared information immediately with the US military chain of command, the US ambassador in Baghdad ,louboutin uk... and the relevant Iraqi leaders.'

The Guardian newspaper discovered that the Shia Muslim 'death squads' were so out of control that they used to parade suspected Sunni Muslim's on a television program called 'Terrorism in The Hands of Justice.'

The premise of the show was to display suspected insurgents on television but began to be seen as distasteful.

Regardless, Samari is reported to have remembered being in the home of General Adnan Thabit &#8211,longchamp; head of the special commandos - when a representative of Petraeus phoned to demand that tortured men ceased to appear on the program.

'General Petraeus's special translator, Sadi Othman, rang up to pass on a message from General Petraeus telling us not to show the prisoners on TV after they had been tortured,' said Samari to

Othman has denied that his former boss endorses torture and called any suggestion to the contrary 'horses**t'.