In order to lose weight, there's no denying you need a lot of will power - especially when Friday afternoon rolls around.
Whether the goal is to improve health or to boost confidence, it's important to stay focused and motivated, otherwise you'll be digging in the biscuit barrel before you know it.
But for one woman, who lost more than five stone in as many months, her inspiration came from an unlikely source - her eldest son.
Rebecca Nelson, 28, was mortified when Kurt, now 7, called her a “jelly belly” one afternoon while in their living room.
The mother-of-three, of Baldock, Hertfordshire, weighed 16 stone and wore size 18 clothes when her son made the innocent remark.
His words prompted her to join a gym and slim down to the 10st 10lb she is today.
Miss Nelson, 28, said: “Kurt didn’t mean any harm. He was only joking around, in the way that children do. If I’d burst into tears he would have felt bad, but I laughed it off.
“In truth l found it a bit upsetting. It was the kick I needed to make the change.”
Miss Nelson, also mother to Reggie, 4, and Seth, 2, began gaining weight as she fell into the routine of motherhood.
She said: “When I was pregnant I would eat for two, even though I didn’t really need to. Being pregnant was a bit of an excuse. After I had Seth it was really difficult to shift.
“I’d never been overweight when I was younger, but when you have children, things change. I found myself staying up late after the kids went to bed, when it was easier to order a takeaway or cook something from the freezer.”
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Miss Nelson, a former saleswoman, found much of her excess weight collecting on her waistline, leading to an unsightly bulge around her stomach area.
In the winter of 2013, Miss Nelson was lying on the sofa where her sons Kurt and Reggie rushed in, in a playful mood.
She said: “Kurt pushed my tummy and said, ‘mummy’s got a jelly belly!’
“If I’d heard him say it to anyone else, I would have told him he was being rude, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him off. He was only being silly, and being honest.”
In November that year, Miss Nelson attended the wedding of the sister of her partner, David Cornish, 31, a car bodyworker.
She said: “When the official photos came back I was horrified because I looked so overweight. The unposed photos which appeared on Facebook later were even worse. It was the final straw.”
Miss Nelson joined Slimming World on January 2nd this year and cut all the takeaways out of her daily diet.
She said: “I’ve built a routine where I can go out for one night on the weekend when I can enjoy life and eat what I like. Then in the week, it’s straight back on the diet. It’s worked really well for me.
“I started going to the gym every morning at 6.30am. To start with I couldn’t run for 30 seconds at time, but now I run five kilometres each time I go on the treadmill.”
Miss Nelson’s routine meant she shrank five dress sizes in five months. Today she weighs 10st 10lb and wears size 8 clothes.
Before beginning her weight loss regime, Miss Nelson ate nothing for breakfast, followed by a chicken tikka baguette with cheese and onion crisps for lunch, then breaded chicken with chips and beans for her evening meal. Her favourite snack was a bag of Hula Hoops, with a dollop of mayonnaise and grated cheddar cheese on top.
Today, she has yoghurt with fruit for breakfast, followed by chicken salad for lunch and home-made shepherds pie for evening meal.
Now, Miss Nelson has a flat, toned stomach which she maintains through a combination of dieting, cardio exercises and weight training.
She said: “I recently went to the bingo with my friends, where I saw my grandad. I waved at him, but he didn’t recognise me. He looked at me as if I was a complete stranger. He said I was a bit too thin when he realised who I was.
“I love the changes I’ve made. I’m so much more energised. When I think back to time when I could only run for 30 seconds at a time, I can hardly believe how far I’ve come.
“I’m grateful to Kurt for making that cheeky comment. Coming from someone so innocent and honest, it was ultimately quite helpful.”
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