Ellen overcame her weakness for sugar

Ellen was skinny all her life until she hit her 40s and her taste for the sweet stuff came back to bite her. Combined with a sedentary job, her weight gradually increased from year to year.

In 2011 Ellen received chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer and after that, her weight started increasing at a much faster pace. But it was a particular event that triggered her decision to lose the weight.

"The point in time when I decided that I was going to lose weight was when I had to go out and buy new jeans in another size, and I thought, 'no'," she says.

"I did buy them. I've still got them sitting in the cupboard and I've worn them twice."

Lost 19 kg

Ellen joined the Total Wellbeing Diet after seeing a TV ad for the diet and promptly lost 19 kg* taking her down to her goal weight.

I had nothing to lose and it looked better than all the other diets where you've got the shakes and all the other things. It seemed a healthier way of losing weight.

Initially, she followed the Total Wellbeing Diet religiously, but after a few months, she more or less made the diet her own. Today, Ellen is very comfortable with what and how much she can eat, and she stays fitter than she ever has.

*In 10 months. Individual results may vary. 

The sweet stuff

Her main dietary problem was mainly sweets - pastries, doughnuts, lollies and chocolate - her favourite food. With the Total Wellbeing Diet, she found a plan that allowed her a small amount of indulgences.

"I find that the diet has been really good in that respect, in that I can actually make up for some of the sweet stuff that I like to eat. But yes, I'm a sweet tooth," she says.

"I had a couple of sessions with a Total Wellbeing Diet dietitian and she gave me some really good tips on what I could to avoid eating the sweet stuff. So I found that the support was really good."