Twenty-six-year-old Michelle Pedley lost 15.4kg and 33-year-old Mel Jones lost 15.7kg.

They told The Examiner the drop in weight was about eating differently and a lot of exercise but, above all, about changing their mind-set. 

Michelle and her husband, Kerrod [who lost nine kilograms], own the bistro at the Railway Tavern so both live with temptation constantly in front of them. On top of that, they have four children so dieting isn’t easy when kids demand fattening food.

Michelle said she used to binge eat at night when the children had gone to bed – crackers and cheese was a favourite.

The key to change was having a trainer at the gym, she said, who kept her on the straight and narrow. Her advice is: “Find a really good trainer”.

If, for example, she slipped and ate too much one day, the trainer would put her back on course.

Mel Jones said the same. She too, was a comfort eater, and as a student studying from home would snack on toast and jam when study got boring. She would go and train hard in the gym twice a day during the ten-week session.

Nigel King who owns the gym that bears his name and who also trains people there said the key was to get a good trainer. 

Both the big weight-losers said that self-esteem was the real gain. Neither felt good about themselves before losing weight – that was partly why they over-ate (so putting on weight and diminishing self-esteem even more).

Mel said of her new fitness and eating regime: “I can’t rave enough about it. We all have dark moments but I’ve become more resilient and much more confident”.

Michelle said her diet changed from chips and junk food to salads – and no alcohol. She could resist temptation because “I wanted the results more than I wanted the food.”

Will they keep it up – and the weight off? They both said they will.