"I HAVE battled with my weight since I was a child".

A 37-year-old woman is now seven stone lighter after waking up two years ago - on January 2 2018 - and deciding "enough was enough".

Since then, Sarah Bennett-Pearce, from Eastleigh, has gone from 23 and a half stone to just under 16 stone.

It encouraged her to open her own business The HEAL Way, an acronym for Healthy Eating Active Lifestyle, which invites others to follow her weight loss journey.

She provides advice on healthy eating and exercise, and arranges weekly meetings and fitness training.

Mother-of-three Sarah said: "I was 23 stone 7, and now I'm just under 16 stone.

"Now, I am feeling comfortable in my body. I have battled with my weight since I was a child and diets never worked, because I didn't care enough.

Sarah said she began eating the right food for the first four to six months, then started going to the gym with a personal trainer five days a week.

She added: "I decided enough was enough and that I was not doing it anymore - something just clicked.

"It is just how we have trained ourself - when we are sad, we eat, and even when we are happy, we want to binge eat to reward ourselves. It was limiting me from being active with my children and I was turning into a blob.

"When you look at how much sugar is in food, it is a real eye opener. I don't feel good eating bad, it mentally also really affects you, but when you eat good, you feel good - it has now become my life."

The ex-car hire company worker has turned The HEAL Way into her full-time job, and hopes to become as successful as popular weight loss groups, such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World.

She said that she can provide text or phone call support to her clients, and that one member has lost just over four stone.

It costs £8 a month to join The HEAL Way, or £4 to attend a meeting.

To find out more, visit www.thehealway.co.uk.