Aberdeenshire-based Claire, 32, looked forward to the festive period to binge on all the food and drink that comes with the Christmas season.
Approaching Christmas 2013, Claire had reached a size 26. Her bubbly personality was masking her deep unhappiness about her weight.
Claire was on the hunt for a Santa costume to wear to a Christmas get together, when she realised that the largest size was an XXXL which is a size 24, a whole size smaller than Claire currently was.
She purchased the costume and wore it to the party. A few days later she went on Facebook to see a friend had tagged her in a picture and was horrified to see how big she had got.
Instinctively, after seeing the picture and thinking about her weight, Claire reached for the biscuit tin and junk food to try and suppress how down she felt about herself.
“A few days later it was Christmas Day, and I had my parents over as well as my two kids who at the time were 10 and 7. As everyone sat round the table I loaded my plate, went to take a seat and I heard a crack.
“The chair gave way, and I was on the floor. I had broken the chair. I was mortified but naturally I tried to laugh it off, making jokes.
“I didn’t allow myself to be upset about my weight in front of anyone.
“This was the final straw for me. This had to be it! In January, I signed up for the Cambridge Weight Plan, now The 1:1 Diet. I had avoided the scales for years so when my Consultant told me that I was 19 stone I felt humiliated and defeated before I had even began.
“Instead of starving myself all day and gorging at night I would have four products a day. I loved the fact I don’t need to think about how much protein, fat and carbs I was having. The products made sure I had all the essential minerals and vitamins I needed.
“I didn’t have time to faff about with making meals, I just wanted something where I felt like I had a bit of control over my life and my eating habits.
“I ended up losing over seven stone in seven months. As the pounds fell away my self-worth and confidence soared.
“At first, I wanted to be a size 16. When I got to a 16, I pushed for a 14. Then thought let’s go for 12s!
“Losing weight has changed my life so much that in August 2015 I became a Consultant. I wanted to shout about my weight loss to everybody. Not for people to give me praise but to let people know I could help them if they had the same issues I had.
“I loved the fact my Consultant had done the Plan and understood what it was like to lose that amount of weight. I had tried every diet under the sun before this one. This was my last resort! I’m so glad it worked.”