REAL LIFE: SLIMMING SIBLINGS - We used to be a right old family of

When Shena Smith had to ask her little brother to help push her up a hill, she knew it was time to lose weight. At 20 stone, and trying to climb a hill in the heat, she had reached the end of her tether.

It was so embarrassing, says Shena. I felt so degraded having to ask Vincent to shove me, but I just couldnt move. We were in a botanical garden in Portugal and I was well and truly stuck. He had to push me along with his hands on my hips, one step at a time.

The couple were on holiday together in Madeira in April last year, when Shena ground to a halt.

But, at 16 and a half stone himself, it wasnt an easy task for Vincent.

We were both puffing and grunting, and sweat was pouring off us. I doubt we looked very attractive, says Shena.

And it wasnt the only embarrassing moment of the holiday.

To make matters worse, on the flight home I had to have an extension fitted on the seatbelt because it wouldnt go around me, she admits.

But now after fighting a battle against the bulge, Shena has lost an amazing 10 stone. Whats more, Vincent was so inspired by his sister, he went on to lose four and a half stone himself.

I never expected Vincent to follow suit, says Shena. But if ever he made a joke about my weight, Id give it straight back and say he should lose weight too.

Shena had always been an average size until her early 20s. But then she developed a taste for fast food and takeaways. After she got married at 25, to her now ex-husband Trevor, she weighed 16 stone and was a size 18. I put on more than two stone over the next two years, says Shena. I wasnt happy in the marriage, so Id comfort- eat. I was a secret eater. In front of other people Id choose healthy foods like fruit and yoghurts, but when I was on my own Id eat three or four king-sized bars of chocolate, or have McDonalds, ice cream or packets of crisps at home.

At one point, Vincent, who had been working in Australia, came home and thought his sister was pregnant. I said, Oh! Im going to be an uncle! says Vincent. Shena replied, No, Im just fat.

But Shenas divorce in 1998 gave her the motivation she needed to lose weight. She joined a slimming club and managed to shed five stone.

But I wasnt disciplined enough, she says. I put the weight back on and continued eating all the wrong things.

Shena reached her top weight of 20 stone in April last year when she and Vincent went on holiday together.

Her brother had also started to have his own problems with his weight. After giving up a 40-a-day smoking habit aged 26, he turned to food instead. I got addicted to chocolate truffles, he says. Id get through 20 of them a day.

So when Shena got back from her fateful holiday, she knew she had to do something. When her hairdresser Debbie told her about a diet plan called LighterLife the following month, she thought she might have found the answer.

Its a meal-replacement diet you eat soups, milkshakes or food bars instead of meals, she says. Debbies sister Helen had lost a lot of weight on it, so I thought Id give it a go. I didnt really miss food, plus youre instructed to drink 3-4 litres of water a day, which helps keep hunger at bay. It was easier than I thought.

Shena started the programme, which also involves counselling sessions, in May last year. At 5ft 5in, she was 20 stone and a size 26-28 top and 30-32 bottom. By the following November she was down to a size 14/16.

I was amazed how quickly I lost weight, she says. Through the counselling, I also learned being bullied at school had probably been the root of my low self-esteem and comfort-eating in my 20s. I was picked on for every reason, including having ginger hair and wearing glasses, she says.

Shena finally reached her target weight of 10 stone in February this year.

I felt great, she says. I felt so much happier, and I had much more energy. I could do my job before, but Id always be exhausted at the end of the day. Now life is much easier I even won a promotion from staff nurse to sister.

But Shena wasnt the only one who was about to become a shadow of their former self. Inspired by his sister, Vincent decided to lose weight too.

I didnt think hed ever do it, says Shena. I knew Vincent didnt like being overweight, but hes a chef, so I didnt think he could give up food.

Vincent, who is 5ft 11in, started the LighterLife plan in February, weighing 16 and a half stone. After eight weeks, hed lost four stone and has since lost a further 7lb. It wasnt as tough as I thought, he says. I missed roast potatoes, but once I lost the weight, I went back to eating normally although Ive cut out the truffles! It was tricky at work when I was on the strict diet, though I had to ask others to taste the food I cooked.

Shena is now back to normal meals as well. These days, Ill have grilled chicken and vegetables or tuna and salad, instead of chocolate and fast food, she says. Ive even taken up exercise, joined a running club and Im planning to enter the London Marathon next year.

Life is so much different, so much better now Im slim, and my brother is so much happier too. Ive already started dating again, and I think Vincent will soon as well, she says.

Ive had so many lovely comments since losing the weight some people dont even recognise me, says Shena. Vincent used to say my bum looked like two Rottweilers fighting under a blanket but he cant tease me any more.

For more information on LighterLife, call 0870 066 4747 or see www.lighterlife.com

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