A WOMAN who appeared in ITV's Take Me Out after losing eight-and-a-half stone now hopes to help others to become fit, toned and healthy.

Laura Tyssen said she had been inundated with messages after the show, with people asking her how she had dropped from a 20 dress size to an eight to 10.

This, coupled with her improved outlook on life, has spurred her on to qualify as a personal trainer.

The 33-year-old account manager who showed off her strength on the television show by putting another contestant on her shoulders and doing a squat admits she was 'unhappy and angry' when at her heaviest. However, she didn't put it down to her weight until a routine GP appointment about six years ago.

"I was big back then and was very ignorant about my weight; I never really considered my health or how unhappy I was. I would put my unhappiness down to other things. Because of that I never used to weigh myself; I'd prefer to not know. I was at the doctors and they asked to weigh me so I hopped on. I weighed 19.5 stone and I was genuinely shocked."

Laura was a dress size 20 but, at 5ft 11ins tall, was able to carry the weight well which had 'crept on over the years'.

"I never watched what I ate. I binged and ate extremely unhealthy food (brown food as I now call it) and I never exercised. I would use the car everywhere."

She said the GP visit was a turning point.

Fed up of feeling 'groggy, unhealthy and unfit' and hating how she looked, she decided to change her diet.

Laura, from Huntington, had tried slimming groups and diets, losing a little but then gaining more so she took a different approach, installing a calorie counter app on her phone.

"I started tracking everything I ate and drank and quickly realised I needed to be smart with my food choices, eating more fruit and veg and protein rather than "brown food".

"I weighed myself every three weeks as I didn't want to do it weekly. I gradually started to lose a little at a time till I'd lost enough that meant I needed to drop a dress size. I continued with that for around one to two years." After losing two stone, Laura joined a gym. She 'hated it' but persevered, building up to training five days a week. She now weights about 11 stone.

"It took me in total six years to lose all the weight and now I have to work seriously hard to maintain it. I still train five days a week. My diet is now a lifestyle but I will often "diet" down for special occasions and even considered entering a bodybuilding show last year.

"Prior to losing weight and training I was very depressed - not just depressed but angry. I had such a bad attitude towards everything and everyone. My entire outlook on life has changed since I've lost weight and been weight training. I 100 per cent believe that weight training is my therapy; anytime I'm down or stressed I train and it's always better." Laura added: "I wanted to inspire people and make people realise that it's actually simple - eat healthy and train well. I lost 8.5 stone. I didn't have a gastric band and I trained for the majority. I believe that's why I'm toned and I don't have loose skin. People sometimes can't believe my body composition after losing so much weight but it just shows it can be done."

After appearing on ITV's Take Me Out, she said people regularly contacted her on Instagram asking how she did it, or to say she'd inspired them to get active and train, and asking for tips.

"So I thought I would train and study to become a personal trainer and really help people.Since then I have qualified and have started to train people."

Laura is now a qualified level 3 personal trainer and has set up Transform with Tyssen.

"I want to help people achieve what I have, my life is totally different now. I'm full of energy. I love life and I love training. I've met so many friends from the industry, many of which also have stories.

"I'm so glad I took up weight training/lifting when I did. Because of being in the industry I also met my now current partner who is a power lifter and personal trainer.

"We share a massive interest which is important."