SEVEN years ago, the only vegetable that would feature in Simone Fay’s life was when she would “veg out” on her couch with a glass of wine and a takeaway.

But, determined not be fat at 30, the finance and payroll officer joined Slimming World threw herself into a new regime of healthy eating.

She had been on a number of fad diets in the past — such as expensive milkshakes — but she could not keep off the weight and, at her biggest, she was just under 15 stone and a “snug” size 18 .

But after deciding to give Slimming World another try, Ms Fay, from Little Lever, slimmed down to 11st 8lbs and wore a size 10 for the first time in her life on her 30th birthday.

Ms Fay, of Ascot Road, said: “My birthday was coming up and I refused to be fat at 30. I’d been fat at 18, 21, 25 — pretty much forever.

“It was my own doing. When I left home I couldn’t really cook and didn’t think I could afford to eat healthily.

"My diet consisted mainly of quick fixes like peanut butter on toast, crisps and plenty of wine.

“Throughout the years I’ve tried all the slimming clubs, meal replacement diets and even slimming tablets but just couldn’t stick to anything and always went back to my old habits.

“I could lose half a stone in a week by hardly eating but then would eat and drink what I wanted all weekend and pile it back on.”

But that changed when she adopted the Slimming World diet of fresh ingredients and boot camps before work — and now she is becoming a consultant herself to help other slimmers like her.

She said: “It’s not a diet — it’s about making food swaps.”

Her group meets every Monday, from 5pm to 7pm at The Beehive pub in Lostock. For more details, call her on 07725 106927.