HER “before” picture looks like other people do after their weight loss journey.

But at her heaviest, mum-of-two Rowena Wood, from Uckfield, reached 14 stone and was a size 18.

Now, thanks to a healthy diet and exercise, Rowena has lost more than five stone and halved her shopping bill in the process.

Before she had her twins, Max and Millie, four years ago, Rowena had always struggled to maintain a consistent weight, but after giving birth to them she decided enough was enough.

The 28-year-old said: “I was a yo-yo dieter before becoming a mum, I was starving myself down to size six and then going back up to a size 12.

“Then I nearly lost my life while having my Caesarian section, as the doctor cut through the placenta by accident and I lost 1.5 litres of blood.

“I was suffering from anxiety and depression and I didn’t care what I ate, so my weight crept up.

“I looked in the mirror one day and thought, ‘this is disgusting, I don’t want to live my life like this’.”

Rowena tried Slimfast and Weight Watchers but they did not work, so in 2016, she decided to try a combination of working out and meal preparation to tone up and lose weight. Two years later she weighs 8 stone 9 lbs and now works as a part-time personal trainer.

She said: “I started working out six or seven times a week at home or in the park.

“I would use my babies as weights, doing lunges while holding them and doing ab crunches with them on my stomach to get them involved.

“I order food on a website called Muscle Food, plan recipes and then write a list of all other ingredients needed before heading to the shops.

“Where I can, I shop in the basics section of my local supermarket or I go to the local food market to bulk buy items such as rice, pasta and loose fruit and vegetables.

“Max and Millie help out with cooking and they are always so proud of what they make.”