Riccinni Banham had always loved sugary and starchy foods, and rarely thought twice before helping herself to extra rice at mealtimes or indulging in gelato, cookies, cake, pastries and chocolate.
She began to notice that as she ate less healthily, her weight would go up. Her self-confidence began to take a hit.
โI stopped weighing myself when I reached 73kg [161lb], because Iโd put on about 15kg by then and knew that I was only getting bigger,โ says Banham, who stands 157cm (five feet two inches) tall.
โBeing overweight affected my mental and emotional health. I didnโt feel good about myself, and my clothes no longer fit. I also had difficulty performing physical activities. Hiking uphill was an issue.โ
The soon-to-be 55-year-old, who grew up in the United States and lives in Hong Kong, realised that running regularly was not enough, and that she had to do something else to lose the weight.