For the family

Los ng weight gave Natasha Pink, 36, from Farnborough, the best reward anyone could ask for... FAMILY

I stuffed my face to hide the pain G ently knocking on the bathroom door, my husband Ross called in. ‘Is everything OK in there?’ he asked. ‘No, not really,’ I sighed. On the other side of the door, I was sat on the edge of the bath, staring at the single line on a pregnancy test – it was negative.

It was 2013, and Ross, then 30, and I had been trying for a baby for five years.

When we’d met in a nightclub back in 2004, we’d got together pretty quickly.

We married in May 2008, and decided to start trying for a baby right away.

But we were in no rush, so when the first year went by, we weren’t too worried. Now, though, after five years, we were getting desperate. After countless pregnancy tests, I was feeling deflated.

Emerging from the bathroom, I collapsed into Ross’ arms in tears.

‘It will happen soon, don’t worry,’ he whispered.

Not convinced, I headed downstairs to get dinner ready.

Filling up a plate of nachos, I topped them with melted cheese, then served them with a side of salsa and sour cream.

Tucking in, the oozing cheese instantly melted my sadness away. But this wasn’t the first time I’d been comfort eating.

When Ross and I had first moved into our own place together, I had no idea how to cook.

We relied on quick ready meals and greasy takeaways on most nights, and over the years, my weight started to pile on.

Then, ever since we’d started trying for a baby, I’d been finding comfort in food.

Every time a pregnancy test came back negative, I’d stuff my face with cheesy nachos, a pasta bake, or a packet of biscuits.

For breakfast, I’d usually make a fry up, before heading off to my job in payroll.

I’d usually have a high calorie sandwich for lunch, accompanied by a full-fat fizzy drink, followed by crisps and chocolates throughout the afternoon.

In the evenings, dinner would usually be something over the top – like a plateful of mac and cheese or a takeaway curry.

I wasn’t doing any exercise, either, and my desk job meant that I was hardly moving at all.

As the years went by, the weight piled on, and my clothes got bigger and bigger.

Every time I looked in the mirror, I felt so ashamed. But for me, losing

weight was always tomorrow’s problem. And anyway, I had more important things to worry about – like why I was struggling to fall pregnant.

A few months later, Ross and I went to see a doctor.

‘Please help us,’ I begged. ‘We want to have a baby.’

Over the next few days, I had tests done on my fallopian tubes, and Ross’ sperm count was also tested.

In the end, though, the doctor couldn’t find a specific problem.

We were told we could undergo IVF, but there was a catch.

‘You need to lose some weight to be eligible,’ the doctor explained.

‘Surely I can’t be that big?’ I said, somewhat insulted.

But, standing on the scales in the doctor’s office, I was in for a shock. I weighed 19st. Reading the numbers, I burst into tears.

I’d been in complete denial, and I was so angry with myself.

I knew I was big, I just never realised how big.

And now, my weight was the only thing standing in the way of my dream of becoming a mum. Wiping away my tears, I suddenly felt determined. ‘I have to Before

EAL LIFE

do this if we want to have a family,’ I said to Ross.

But it was easier said than done. Trying several diets over the next few months, nothing seemed to shift the weight.

I was impatient, too, giving up too quickly and reverting back to my old ways.

Finally, in January 2014, I came across Jane Plan, a bespoke diet plan that would not only organise my meals for me, but would send me the ingredients.

Soon I’d swapped my fry ups, meal deals and cheesy dinners for bowls of muesli, tuna, salads, bulgur wheat, and fruit.

Jane Plan also taught me so much about portion size and calorie control, and I soon started making my

own decisions about what I was eating.

I even started exercising – fitting in half-hour walks during my lunch breaks.

And it wasn’t long before I started seeing the difference. In the first two weeks, I managed to lose 7lb.

My dress size was getting smaller by the week, and my colleagues were starting to notice the difference.

‘You’re doing so well!’ ey’d say.

And I never once felt ke giving up.

My dream was to have baby, and if losing

ight was the only way make that happen, then thing was going to stop from doing it. And it was paying off. Six months later, in July 2014, I’d managed to lose 6st.

At a healthy 13st, I was finally eligible for IVF.

‘I’m so proud of you,’ Ross smiled as we headed to the GP.

There was a waiting period on the NHS, so I only had the treatment in January 2015, and by then, I’d dropped to 10st.

Losing weight had done the trick, and in March that year, sat on the edge of the bath again, a pregnancy test came back positive.

‘I can’t believe it!’ I cried, The pounds melted away After

bursting into tears.

Thankfully, the pregnancy went smoothly, and on 3 December 2015, all my dreams came true when our daughter Arabelle came into the world.

Holding her in my arms, she was absolutely gorgeous.

It was such a life-changing moment, and I’ll never forget it.

Having Arabelle home turned our lives upside down – but Ross and I loved every minute!

So much so, that we decided to have another baby, and underwent another round of IVF in January last year.

And once again, last March, a pregnancy test came back positive. ‘If I knew it was this easy, I would have lost this weight years ago!’ I laughed to Ross. Our son Elwood was born on 3 December 2019, and was perfectly healthy.

Now just 12 weeks old, he’s such a happy little boy, and has completed our family. He and Arabelle, now four, share the same birthday – something I don’t think either of them will be very happy about when they’re a bit older! Since joining the Jane Plan programme, I’ve lost a total of 9st.

I currently weigh 13st, but a lot of that is still pregnancy weight from having Elwood.

I plan on getting down to 10st again eventually.

I’m finally happy with the way I look, and am no longer stuck in a vicious cycle of emotional eating.

But the most important thing my weight loss has brought me is my beautiful children.

If I didn’t lose the weight, I wouldn’t have my family, and I would have regretted that for the rest of my life.

Visit www.janeplan.com We finally got what we wished for

These two are my greatest gifts