SHARON McCarthy was overweight and heavily dependent on her asthma inhaler.

Now, she lives an active lifestyle, hardly uses her inhaler and is a slim size ten.

Sharon had been overweight all her life.

"I thought that was how it was," says the 38-year-old from Netley Abbey.

"I'd failed at every diet I'd tried. I'd dieted on and off for my entire life, even when I was still at school.

"I was always the fat friend and I just accepted that, everyone did.

"I have always been a happy-go lucky person and I thought that was the hand I'd been dealt."

But everything changed for Sharon following a routine visit to her GP.

"I've always had a bad chest," she says.

"I spent my youth and early adult life going in and out hospital with chest infections and chronic asthma.

"It didn't help that I was over weight but I have polycystic ovaries, and I struggled to lose weight on eating plans."

Sharon, who weighed 15 stone 10, says that she was used to her doctor telling her that she was overweight.

"He told me I was obese and I thought 'yeah, I know'," she says.

But this time Sharon was given a referral to Weight Watchers, meaning that she could access 12 weeks of groups for free.

"I left the referral in a drawer for three weeks, but then by mum was referred as well so we went together, and it was the best thing I ever did.

"Initially I was just intending to go for the free 12 weeks, but I just kept losing weight," she says.

"I'd been to different groups before and actually put on weight, so this was really motivating.

"The difference was, this taught me portion control, and that I could have everything in moderation. It was really empowering feeling I could say 'yes' to things if I wanted to."

Sharon lost three and a half stone, and dropped from a size 22 to a size 10 in November, hitting her target weight, but still goes to a group every week, and has now opened her own Weight Watchers group, in Hamble and Netley.

"I feel fantastic now," she says.

"I can ride a bike now without getting out of puff, and my asthma is much better. I used to use my inhaler between five and seven times a day. Now I hardly ever use it.

"For years, doctors had told me that if I lost weight it would help but I'd resigned myself to being over weight. Now we have a really active lifestyle," says the mother of two boys, aged seven and nine.

"It's nice being able to buy nice clothes. I used to just wear the same clothes all the time. Now it takes me twice as long to get ready, as I have so many things to choose from!

"I used to see other people losing weight and thought I just couldn't do it. I can't believe that I've managed to lose the weight and kept it off."