Food was central to my life. From Sunday dinners to family celebrations, everything revolved around food. I was quite athletic at school but got into the habit of eating more than I burned off. By my twenties, I wasn’t doing any exercise at all – I’d take the car just to pop to the shops – so over the years the weight began to pile on.By my thirties, I was 21st 7lb and a size 24. I’m 5ft 7in. An average day started with a sugary cereal with a peanut butter, jam and cheese toastie; lunch was a meal deal of a BLT sandwich, crisps, chocolate bar and Coke at my office admin job in Bromley; then dinner was a big plate of chicken and rice or potatoes, with very little veg, followed by tea and custard creams in the evening.As a busy mum to my son, now 24, we’d get fish or sausage and chips or a Chinese takeaway on the weekend. Once food delivery apps started, we didn’t even need to go out to get it, so it became a routine.Over the years I tried Weight Watchers and lost a little weight, but just put it back on. Then in 2024, as I was facing my 60th birthday, I realised my lifestyle was harming me: I had lower back pain, arthritis in one knee, I was pre-diabetic and was about to be prescribed blood pressure tablets. I didn’t want this to be my life going forward and thought: ‘It’s now or never, I’ve got to do something.’I had been following my friend Deborah Adams on social media – she had lost weight and become a consultant for The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan. She posted about people she was helping and many had similar stories to me, so I identified with them and thought: ‘Well, if they can do it, I can.’ I felt I had nothing to lose, so called Deborah and joined the plan.Although it’s been around since the 1980s, The 1:1 Diet was previously known as The Cambridge Diet. The plan involves a consultant tailoring food-replacement products for you. Deborah advised me to eat three 200-calorie products a day, then one healthy meal, from their recipes. Hyacinth Robinson before losing the weight, when she recalled food was 'central' to her life and she wouldn't be 'doing any exercise at all' 'By my thirties, I was 21st 7lb and a size 24. I’m 5ft 7in. An average day started with a sugary cereal with a peanut butter, jam and cheese toastie,' she saysI started eating the plan’s porridge or shakes for breakfast, then chicken and noodle or chilli soup for lunch and a protein bar, or their Pop Squares crisps, for a snack. Then I’d make dinner of fish, or chicken and vegetables, or salad. It totalled around 800 calories a day.I lost eight pounds in the first week, then the pounds came off steadily – three or four a week. I couldn’t believe it. I thought: ‘Why wasn’t I doing this years ago?’ Two years on, I’ve lost 9st 6lb and gone down to a size 12-14. I am at my goal weight of just under 12st and will soon start to go on the ‘maintenance’ programme, eating less products and more meals.My life has changed completely. Before I lived in leggings and flowing dresses, which were my ‘trademark’, but now I can wear anything I like. People I’ve known for years do a double-take when they see me. Even I look at old photos of myself and don’t feel like that was me.I’ve got so much more energy. For someone who never walked anywhere, now I can’t stop walking – I go out three times a day. My GP is amazed, I’ve reversed my pre-diabetes and my back and knee pain has gone. Here’s how I did it and you can too….I swapped juice for waterI drank orange and apple juice, thinking it was healthier than fizzy drinks. But there’s a lot of sugar in juice, so now I have water. I drink three litres a day, which keeps you hydrated and fills you up.I’ve learned how to eat from a buffetI recently went to an all-inclusive hotel in the Caribbean, which was my first trip away since going on the plan and I’m proud I stuck to healthy eating. I ate eggs for breakfast, then fish, chicken, vegetables and salad for lunch and dinner. At a buffet, it’s easy to overdo it but I was disciplined as I didn’t want to undo all the good work. Hyacinth after losing the weight at a Race For Life event, as she now reports having 'so much more energy' and now goes out 'three times a day' On holiday Hyacinth said she is proud that she 'stuck to healthy eating' despite being on an all-inclusive hotel in the CaribbeanI walk three times a dayBefore, I’d take the car everywhere, but now I have so much energy that I want to go out. And because I feel so comfortable, walking is second nature. I walk three times a day – before work, at lunch and in the evening.I watch my portionsMy meals used to be enormous, but I’ve learned to watch my portion size and always have lots of salad and vegetables, whereas in the past, it would be few vegetables and lots of carbs.I decided ‘this is not it’ when I turned 60Facing being on medication for the rest of my life, I decided this was ‘not it’ and I was going to do something about it. I’m happy to be a role model – everyone asks me how I did it and I happily explain it was the old-fashioned way!As told to KERRY PARNELLThe 1:1 diet: one2onediet.com