'My friend barely recognised me. Looking at the photos, it’s not hard to understand why.'

Everyone has a moment in their life when they realise it’s time to make a change. It could be a change to their relationship, where they work, their health or their lifestyle.

My moment happened the year I went to Canada. I’d gone through a painful breakup putting me on an emotional rollercoaster and which added 10 kilos to my waistline. I could still fit into most of my clothes so I didn’t pay too much attention, merrily assuming I would easily drop the extra kilos while travelling.

While overseas, despite joining a gym, I steadily gained between another 5-10 kilos, not noticing it too much as it was quite gradual. At the time, my jeans were ripping but I assumed the fibres were weakening because of the icy cold weather conditions, when in reality I was literally eating my way through them.

At the end of my trip, I decided to surprise my best friend, who lived in England, with a visit. This was when I first realised I had to stop and take notice of what was happening to me.

My bestie and I love swapping clothes as we share the same height, weight and body shape. So naturally, when she was excitedly showing me her jeans, that used to be tight on her but now falling off her, I wanted to try them on too. To my shock, I discovered that I couldn’t pull them past my knees.

My friend also admitted during that visit it took her several seconds to realise who I was - looking back at the photos from that trip, it’s not difficult to understand why.

When I landed back in Australia, all I wanted to do was wear some of my old clothes (living out of a suitcase for a year can be tiring). To my horror, when I tried on some old clothes I’d left behind I broke no less than THREE dress zippers in my effort to get them on.

This difficult experience of discovering that none of my old clothes even remotely fit me, made me finally ask my mum to tell me honestly if I was fat - her answer was what made me finally take action.

Now to fully appreciate her response, you have to understand - my mother NEVER says anything disparaging about mine, or my sister’s weight or anyone else’s for that matter. She is the most encouraging and loving person, so when her response was to pause for several seconds and then say in a hesitant way “Umm….. You have gained a fair bit of weight, yes” it was a huge “ah ha” moment for me.

For my mother to acknowledge ANY weight gain like this meant that I must have gained a considerable amount. In fact, I’d gained approximately 30 kilos. She admitted to me that she hadn’t even recognised me when she came to pick me up from the airport.

Listen: MMOL discuss is it ever okay to comment on someone's weight? Post continues after audio...

I wanted and NEEDED to change. The problem was I didn’t have much money, so I contacted a friend of mine who was a personal trainer at the time (he’s a medical doctor now) and asked if he would consider exchanging his knowledge on diet and exercise for my massage services (I was a massage therapist at the time).

Fortunately for me, Anthony was managing some injuries of his own at the time so he agreed to the collaboration. That seemingly small decision to reach out to Anthony changed the course of my future irrevocably.

I had NO idea how to exercise, what to cook or what I should or shouldn’t eat - I only knew how to make calorie-dense comfort food, like lasagne and casseroles. I began cooking completely differently with much more simplicity, such as steaming vegetables, grilling food instead of making a whole casserole with sauces etc.

Anthony motivated me to get up every morning to go for a fast walk (which is a miracle really since anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a morning person). Over time, as we spent countless hours together, laughing, crying (OK it was just me crying) and working out, Anthony and I formed a unique friendship that eventually turned into love. I have never been the same since. His love, passion, and support are more than I could have ever asked for.

Reflecting on my journey, it’s the small changes I notice the most. Being able to run for the bus and not be puffed, having clearer skin and inspiring others to get healthy because I did it and I’m a “normal” person.

The photo on the left still blows me away.... I had no idea how big I was at the time! ???? I had such a fun time that night, even though I was so sad to farewell my Canadian friends! . . Left Photo: Taken at my farewell gathering in Canada (straightening a friends hair) . . Right photo: Trying to find a bridesmaid dresses I found this one and fell in love with it - I sent this photo to my bridesmaids to see if they were happy with it.

A post shared by Cairyn Bloomfield (@cairynbloomfield) on Nov 24, 2017 at 4:50pm PST

Being able to throw on any item of clothing and not having to think about it is absolutely one of my favourites. It is such a seemingly benign thing, but the anxiety that comes with clothes feeling like they are too “revealing”, worrying about whether your jeans will keep everything in if you bend down, thinking "is this going to give me a muffin top?” or simply just not feeling confident in myself because no matter what I was wearing I still felt “big” can be so overwhelming, and can end up taking up so much mental and physical energy.

My goal was never to be a “supermodel”, but rather to get healthy, happy in my own skin and to relieve myself of any anxiety. I can honestly say that now, I feel like I've achieved that.

The simple principles that Anthony applied to my training with him form the basis of the Bloomfield Protocol, a weight loss program that I have developed with my now husband Dr. Anthony Bloomfield, aimed at helping women obtain long-term, healthy changes.

* Note: This story is representative of Cairyn's personal journey but Mamamia believes all women have the right to feel comfortable in their own skin, no matter their shape or size.