Introducing... Gemma

Hi I'm Gemma and my main goal is to be a size 16. I plan on doing this by following the Weight Watchers programme. I work 6 days a week for long hours so I find making time for exercise pretty difficult but I hope to squeeze it in. I have a nice long break on Saturday and I'm going to take a walk around the building, get off the bus a stop earlier and hopefully little steps like this will improve my general well being and fitness.

The Weight Watchers programme really worked for me in the past, I lost a fair amount of weight in college when I followed it and it helped me maintain my weigh whilst in University. I feel the main benefit of following a scheme like WW is the support you get from going to a class and I find that keeping a food diary helps me not to over indulge. I have already lost 11.5 lbs since joining WW and I hope I can keep up the weight loss. Sticking to a strict programme and attending weekly weigh ins works best for me. Being a little healthier or cutting out the junk isn't an option, I need to drastically change the bad habits of a life time and move from clinically obese to a healthy weight.

I was at my most confident when I worked in Topshop. I was a size 16 and could shop anywhere, I didn't always wear a dress with a long cardigan to cover everything up. I graduated in 2008 at the beginning of the financial crisis and I simply could not find a job, I was at home all the time being pretty inactive and eating junk. I put on about 3 stone in over a year and my confidence plummeted.

I have always been the bubbly and chubby one and this hasn't bothered me. What has really upset me is the lack of choice I have when shopping now that I'm size 18+, I find it depressing that I can only chose from a few ugly jumpers and tunics that appear in plus size ranges. ASOS Curve and the new H&M Inclusive range are fab but I would love to know that no shops are off limit for me because of my size.

I have a wedding to attend in the summer and I want to find a gorgeous size 16-18 dress for the occasion so let the slimming commence!