Trish Caller, a member at Curves Taunton, reveals how she was inspired to lose weight after reading the County Gazette!

"I have tried so many diets over the years, some of them very successfully, but as soon as I got bored or stopped the weight always piled on again and I usually ended up heavier than before I started. I was a typical yoyo dieter.

"My journey began in early January 2008. I was reading the County Gazette and saw an article about a woman who went to Curves and had lost a lot of weight and got fit. I plucked up the courage to call the number.

"A lady answered and brightly said the words It's great to be at Curves!' - little did I know how true those words were! We chatted for a while and I decided to pop in and meet Sharon, the manager.

"I walked up the stairs to the gym, shaking with nervousness. I opened the door and was greeted by lots of smiling faces, happy music, and ladies of all shapes and sizes! I immediately felt at ease. Sharon asked me some questions about my health and current fitness levels (yeah right!).

"I was weighed and had various measurements taken including my percentage of body fat. I was horrified and really upset at the numbers but was determined that whatever they were that day I could only get smaller and fitter! Sharon made me feel like I could really achieve the weight loss I needed, she is an amazing motivator.

"I was then shown the fitness machines and one of the ladies demonstrated how they worked and what muscle groups they exercised. You basically go on each machine for 30 seconds before a cue tape moves you on to another one.

"The resistance machines are arranged in a way that means you use your upper body on one and lower body on the next. Between each one is a recovery station where you perform aerobics like gentle jogging or stretching to keep your heart rate from falling whilst your muscles recover - the trainers at Curves tell me that a women's muscle takes 30 seconds to fatigue and 90 seconds to recover!

"I try and go to the gym between three and six times a week. As each session is only 30 minutes it is very easy to fit it in a lunch break or pop in on the way home from work.

"Since I joined six weeks ago I have lost over 18lbs in weight! As well as the weight I have also lost more than 16 inches and at least 3% in body fat! An amazing kick start! I have just been named Miss February' and will have my photo on the Calendar Girls section of the wall.

"I am still very overweight and have quite a way to go to reach my ultimate goal. The difference this time is that I am setting myself achievable goals.

"The first one is to lose three stone by June and I am very much on target to achieve this! I am absolutely determined to do it this time and I am utterly convinced that I will get all the support and encouragement I need from Sharon and all the staff and ladies at Curves.

"I would like to finish by saying that no matter how heavy you are at the moment you will immediately feel at home at Curves, everyone is there to help and support you. If I can do it, anyone can!"