While pregnant with my second child I was in a lot of pain that really restricted physical movement.

Along with a family tragedy I reached a stage where the last thing I cared about was the food I was eating. As a result I gained a lot of weight.

Unfortunately, this continued long after the birth of my baby boy...

My snap point occurred when we went to go on a family holiday to the snow. I was in denial about how much weight I gained, but when I couldn’t pull my snow pants on over my thighs, and I couldn’t even get the zips to touch on my jacket, that hit me hard.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that it’s ok to go slow.

After my first pregnancy, I felt pressured to regain my body as quickly as possible. I kept pushing through pain and ignored my body telling me to stop and I didn’t heal.

This time around, I allowed myself to set the pace I wanted. The first six months were purely based around healing, regaining movement and establishing healthier habits. It was then that I felt ready to bring it all together.

I’m not the biggest fan of cooking, so the Transformation Cookbook recipes work fantastically for me. The meals are family friendly and both my children enjoy sharing in the cook ups. My littlest has loved Shar's Chili Con Carne from the time he was able to eat chunkier solids.

Sam’s tips to help you get back on track.

1. Set yourself a massive goal that is personal! Weight loss was not a goal that motivated me, however losing weight to improve my sporting performance did. I love Olympic lifting and competing in CrossFit. Once your goal becomes personal, you’re more likely to chase after it. It has to be something that makes you excited and nervous at the same time.

2. Focus on what you can control right now and be patient. Attempting to create a completely new way of living on day one will ultimately lead to failure from burn out. What you can change today might seem small in comparison, but it can be a big change for creating results in the long run.

3. Understand that a mistake does not mean failure. I’ve made loads of mistakes but that doesn't mean I give up. Each day is an opportunity to do better than the day before. So I just keep putting one foot in front of the other and learning from those mistakes. Being persistent is far more important than perfection.

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