0:00:03 > 0:00:05One year ago, three families from Northern Ireland
0:00:05 > 0:00:08set off on a unique week-long experiment
0:00:08 > 0:00:10at Lusty Beg Island in Fermanagh.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13Cara talks there about going and getting buns or whatever,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16we would get a cake.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Can you remember the last time you felt really good about your body?
0:00:20 > 0:00:21No, not right now this minute.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25It's the jolly fat bloke is the mask that I wear.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Once there, they were forced to face up to
0:00:28 > 0:00:31their unhealthy eating habits and their lack of exercise
0:00:31 > 0:00:34in order to become fitter and healthier people.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39They were given instructions and encouragement by four leading experts -
0:00:39 > 0:00:43a personal trainer, two psychologists and a nutritionist.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49If you can't pronounce what it says on the label, it's kind of a sign.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Using a combination of physical exercise,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57lessons in nutrition and intense psychotherapy sessions
0:00:57 > 0:01:00the three families were challenged to change their lives.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10A year on, we meet up with them again to see how they've been doing.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14Has anything worked? Or did they fall back into their old ways?
0:01:14 > 0:01:16If I was ever asked to do Lusty Beg again,
0:01:16 > 0:01:20I would embrace it with an open heart.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27People still notice what we put in our shopping basket.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30I have two say, we've had a very bad year
0:01:30 > 0:01:32and I hope we don't have anymore like it.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47As the families gather in Armagh,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49they'll find out who fell by the wayside
0:01:49 > 0:01:51when left to their own devices.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Isobel, Nick and Rachel are first to arrive.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02I felt we should have done a lot more in a year.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05But actually, as I say, a year isn't that long and actually,
0:02:05 > 0:02:07we were at my sister's last night,
0:02:07 > 0:02:09and we were looking through old photographs
0:02:09 > 0:02:12and I was double the size of what I was whenever we started Lusty Beg,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15so actually, it's going to be a slow, long progress
0:02:15 > 0:02:18and hopefully out of it, it'll stick.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21I'm definitely in two size smaller trousers than I was in.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Tops are just one size smaller than I was in,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30so we're getting somewhere, albeit slow, but we're getting somewhere.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Cara and her family have had a difficult year.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37I am back to what I was when I started Lusty Beg
0:02:37 > 0:02:41and I definitely am feeling the effects of it.
0:02:42 > 0:02:43Physically, like.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48I suppose the children have been the...
0:02:48 > 0:02:51definitely the success of our story,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55because they've both got over two stone off
0:02:55 > 0:02:59and they're both exercising and they're both two different children.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02I'd love to have been going back, you know, now,
0:03:02 > 0:03:05and having lost a lot of weight and instead,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I'm going back with having it put on, you know?
0:03:08 > 0:03:10So I have to say, I'm not looking forward to it
0:03:10 > 0:03:12because I do feel like I've failed.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17- Hello.- Hello!- Hello, Ricky.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19- How are you?- Going to cry!
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Are you well?
0:03:21 > 0:03:25- Are we right in the head doing this all again?- No, definitely not.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Mum Rosie and daughter Ellen are last to join the group.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31We've come a long way, we have.
0:03:31 > 0:03:37We both know that, Ellen and I, but we still have a way to go as well,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39so we're still on the journey. We haven't completed it.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43It's remarkable the way three such different families
0:03:43 > 0:03:47can be joined together because they have a common goal.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Hello!
0:03:51 > 0:03:53It's lovely to be here again. It's strange.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56We have seen each other a few times, you know, in between,
0:03:56 > 0:04:01but not all at once, so, yeah, it's lovely.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I'm very glad there's no obstacle courses now!
0:04:07 > 0:04:10These three families were united by a unique experience,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14but what motivated their attempt to change their lives?
0:04:30 > 0:04:32First family to arrive for their week-long retreat
0:04:32 > 0:04:35was single mum Rosie and daughter Ellen.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Do I blame myself for being this weight?
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Yes, yes, I do. There's no-one else to blame.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48When I look in the mirror, I do not like what I see
0:04:48 > 0:04:51and I know all the right things to say to myself
0:04:51 > 0:04:53to make myself feel better,
0:04:53 > 0:04:54but at the end of the day,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58the bottom line is that no, I am not happy with the way I look.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02There's some shops were things fit me perfectly
0:05:02 > 0:05:05and then that's the only ones I shop in,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08but it's hard when you're overweight.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14It's a bit...makes me feel a bit down.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Johnny had recently married Cara, mother of Ryan and Ellie.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28I've got so much weight to lose, it's like I don't know where to start.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31It's like climbing a mountain when you're at the bottom of it,
0:05:31 > 0:05:36it's like getting that start on it - I just feel it's too far to climb.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40And as well, for the children, it's one thing me having weight issues
0:05:40 > 0:05:42but now, all of a sudden I've realised
0:05:42 > 0:05:49that my children are that way as well and that's really upsetting.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52So, I'm dreading the change, but it has to be done.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02And there was Nick, Isobel and daughter Rachel from Dundonald,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05desperate to end their love affair with takeaways.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09Chippie, Chinese, Indian, pizzas, so much choice out there.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14A variety of curry to eat every day. I eat something different every day.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16Far too easy.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20I always remember Mum saying, if you don't lose weight, wee girl,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22you're not going to be round whenever those kids grow up.
0:06:24 > 0:06:30My mum says I've got puppy fat but sometimes I just don't believe her.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34It's just a thing that I think is my fault for doing it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37The wee warning bell's going off big-time,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39and it's time to do something about it.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46At the beginning of the week
0:06:46 > 0:06:49the families realised how much their weight was out of control .
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Have you heard the expression "pinch an inch?"
0:06:51 > 0:06:53I can pinch more than an inch!
0:06:57 > 0:07:00They found the exercise and personal training sessions gruelling
0:07:00 > 0:07:03but invigorating, giving them a new determination
0:07:03 > 0:07:05to get back on the road to fitness.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Good food and nutrition was also a vital component of the experience.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16Anything that's green is good for you.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20- And you like tomatoes, don't you? - No.- Do you not like tomatoes?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23I was expecting something
0:07:23 > 0:07:26a little more substantial than a bowl of leaves.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29Porridge - that's a good sign.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33Nutritionist Amanda Hamilton highlighted the dangers of an unhealthy diet.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40What your parents do, what size your parents are and what their habits are
0:07:40 > 0:07:44really predicts the life outcome of that child, which is terrifying.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48When I looked at it,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51I didn't realise it until I looked at this photo,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55and it looked completely different to what I am today.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Disappointed.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Clinical Psychologists Dr Rachel Andrew and Dr Raman Kapur
0:08:02 > 0:08:06helped the families explore body image and psychological improvement.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11I want to be the way I used to be.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13There's no harm in it,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16but it would be nice just to have somebody to flirt with you.
0:08:16 > 0:08:22I suppose it was like the time I was going to look at wedding dresses,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26some people even, you would hear them saying something,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30you know, and I'd feel like saying, "I know I'm fat, but I'm not deaf."
0:08:32 > 0:08:34What if I said, why aren't taking your gym kit?
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Why aren't you going to the gym before work? Why aren't you going to gym after work?
0:08:38 > 0:08:40You know, and you always have an excuse.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42You two feel free to fight too!
0:08:45 > 0:08:49The therapy sessions enabled the families to become more open.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54As a group, they formed a bond.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58The hunger pangs are going.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01I'm really looking forward to the next few days.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03It just keeps getting better, like. I'm amazed.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06There's no such thing as an expert, really, you know?
0:09:06 > 0:09:09I've learned a lot over the years, but you're your own experts.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12You're the one that's going to have to make decisions when you go home.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18They learned about self motivation and discipline.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22You want to go back to that way of life? It's up to you, no pressure.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29- What did you just do? - Removed temptation.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Go!
0:09:38 > 0:09:42By the end of the week, the families were armed
0:09:42 > 0:09:45with the tools necessary to make a change in their everyday lives.
0:09:47 > 0:09:54I feel like a new person. I feel like I'm cleansed from the inside out.
0:09:54 > 0:10:00I feel better than I felt for years.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Hi!
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Oh, wow!
0:10:18 > 0:10:20At the end of the experience,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23the families were brought together for a final weigh-in.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Before Lusty Beg, Isobel was six stone overweight.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Her partner Nick was clinically obese.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39Rachel was more than seven stone, a risky weight for someone so young.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46By the end of the process, the family had begun to shed the pounds
0:10:46 > 0:10:49with Isobel losing more than a stone.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54When she arrived on the island,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Rosie weighed more than 15 and a half stone.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58At more than 13 stone,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01her daughter Ellen's weight was putting her health at risk.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06They had lost more than a stone each by the time of the weigh-in.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10It's been a long time since I've seen that on the scales.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Cara and her family needed to lose by far the most.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19She was advised to lose 11 stone to reach her ideal weight.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23Her children's weight put them at serious risk of health problems in the future.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28At two and a half stone overweight, Johnny had the least to lose.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34After Lusty Beg, Cara had lost one stone nine pounds.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Her husband Johnny had almost reached his ideal weight.
0:11:37 > 0:11:43Ellie and Ryan had lost more than a stone and a half each.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Between them in two months,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48these three families lost more than 11 stone.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53After struggling for years, they started a process of change.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57They were more confident and happy in their own skins,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00all because of a change in their mindset.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03But have they sustained this?
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Since Lusty Beg, the families have had varying degrees of success
0:12:20 > 0:12:25in maintaining their healthy lifestyles.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Now they have the chance to look back...
0:12:30 > 0:12:33..helped on by nutritionist, Amanda
0:12:33 > 0:12:37and family psychologist, Dr Rachel Andrew.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41- Look who's here!- Hello!- Dr Rachel! - Haven't seen you for ages!
0:12:41 > 0:12:43So what Rachel and I thought we'd do,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47just to get the energy going, is have a game.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49We're not going to make you run around a field, don't worry!
0:12:49 > 0:12:52We're going to have a game in the theatre
0:12:52 > 0:12:55and we'll tell you all about it if you follow us.
0:12:57 > 0:13:04If you hear Isobel saying an excuse, you hold up and go "excuse!" OK?
0:13:04 > 0:13:05All of you.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09If you hear Isabel saying something that's a good idea, "good idea!"
0:13:09 > 0:13:11OK? It's about encouraging yourselves
0:13:11 > 0:13:13and actually becoming a bit more self-monitoring.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- Who wants to go first?- Nick!
0:13:16 > 0:13:19- OK, fine. - I was waiting for that one.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21So, talk us through the last year for you, Nick.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26The good teaching and experience
0:13:26 > 0:13:30is put into practice for a good three months,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33then came along Christmas, and...
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Christmas is one day! Christmas is one day!
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I'm sorry, I think it's a good excuse!
0:13:39 > 0:13:41LAUGHTER
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Next winter, what would be a good idea?
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Maybe we could set ourselves a challenge,
0:13:46 > 0:13:50like doing a charity walk or something together as a group
0:13:50 > 0:13:54and by meeting up to do that, it would actually be a motivator.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59Because we're so spread out, it's going to be hard.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00Good thinking.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Excuse, Johnny, you're saying that's an excuse?
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Well, if you can meet up to party you can meet up to do that.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Hallelujah!
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Anything else that you look back on the year and think, hm...?
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Yeah.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Speaking personally, if there had have been someone come out
0:14:18 > 0:14:23every couple of months, just to drop in to see how things were going,
0:14:23 > 0:14:24I think it would have been a case of
0:14:24 > 0:14:26I didn't want to let anybody else down.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Why is it easy to let yourself down and not but others down?
0:14:29 > 0:14:31That's quite interesting.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34When you get... when you're overweight,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38you have very low self-esteem anyway, would you not say?
0:14:38 > 0:14:42- And you need that bit of help and support.- Yep, yep.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46One thing that worked for me was you become your own training partner.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49- Your own training partner?- Yes.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52You talk in your head to yourself, or even out loud, it has been known.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54LAUGHTER
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Cara speaks about low self-esteem
0:14:58 > 0:15:02and it's something has struggled with all my life from when I was a very young woman.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06I suppose, maybe just comes a point in your life when you say,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09"I really don't want to feel like this any more."
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I do not think there is a quick fix. I think it's a long-term process.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23Isobel and Nick are the same weight they were last year,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27but they have struggled, and they still find it hard to set boundaries for their daughter,
0:15:27 > 0:15:29an issue for them all last year.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32For the family it's one thing after another.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38So, one year on, it's sounding like a mixed bag.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42It all started very well, up until before Christmas
0:15:42 > 0:15:44everything was going really well.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49Then Christmas happened, then some birthdays in January, then Valentine's Day
0:15:49 > 0:15:51then it just didn't ever start again.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54So why don't you think it started again?
0:15:54 > 0:15:57What derailed the whole family?
0:15:57 > 0:16:01I don't think there was a derailment as such, there just wasn't any motivation to start again.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04- Right, it got stuck in a rut?- Yeah.
0:16:04 > 0:16:11I don't think the good habits were formed long enough.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14It was just easier not to do the preparing, not to think ahead
0:16:14 > 0:16:18and do it as you come to 6 o'clock, "What will we have for tea?"
0:16:18 > 0:16:21I'm trying to figure out what drives those decisions day in day out.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24I was forced into a place where I was not finishing work
0:16:24 > 0:16:29until 6.30 or seven o'clock, nearly every night for 18 weeks.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31See, where I am from, that's normal,
0:16:31 > 0:16:33not to get back till seven or eight o'clock at night.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38Sometimes the best motivation appearance that parents ever have are their kids.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Where are you on the boundary fronts, do you think, parentally?
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Lacking,
0:16:44 > 0:16:48really lacking big time. Rachel has fell back.
0:16:48 > 0:16:54- She doesn't even think twice about going to the biscuit barrel.- I do. - No, you don't.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57There are things like that that she has let slip.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01But Rachel was actually asking for boundaries when we were away,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03it's maybe just reinstating them.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07It is what all the statistics tell us, what you teach your kids
0:17:07 > 0:17:10growing up, what they are used to is what they will carry on with.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14It is difficult to connect with that sometimes,
0:17:14 > 0:17:20but if we take the time here to say, "Right, it's about health."
0:17:20 > 0:17:26It's about quality of life and all those things.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30She's told us stuff that she told us before,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32but whenever somebody is not there reinforcing it,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36you do tend to say, sure, what does that matter?
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Habits take a while to form
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and when you have had 20-odd years of a bad habit,
0:17:41 > 0:17:45to try and break that in a very short period of time is very difficult.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48It is up to us, wanting that for ourselves to put our own motivation in.
0:17:48 > 0:17:55I should maybe use this huge opportunity I've got now to get back into that mindset.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02While some of the families have struggled with motivation Rosie
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and Ellen have fully embraced their new lifestyles with Ellen
0:18:05 > 0:18:08losing more than three stone.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13I can't believe it has been a year and, you're both my star pupils.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16What a fantastic result.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19What do you think is different for you,
0:18:19 > 0:18:24because you are markedly different from everyone else in that respect?
0:18:24 > 0:18:30One of the things I have found is the need to be very honest with yourself.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Behind all those feelings of negativity and "I can't",
0:18:34 > 0:18:37there's always an emotional excuse behind there somewhere.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42It's cutting through it all and really getting to what lies in behind it.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44And to do that you have to be honest with yourself.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48That hurts sometimes and it is a very difficult thing to do,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50because we can lie to yourself so easily.
0:18:50 > 0:18:55I think with Rosie and Ellen that's it, there is no going back.
0:18:55 > 0:19:01There's no sense of, I want to go back to bad habits, or it's lurking there.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04There is none of that. They have moved on.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Cara is back to the same weight she was before the retreat.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13However, her husband Johnny and her two children Ryan
0:19:13 > 0:19:17and Ellie have continued to follow a regime of healthy eating and exercise.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Cara has struggled more than most over the last year and has
0:19:24 > 0:19:28arranged to discuss recent events in her life with Dr Raman Kapur.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31The New Year started off well,
0:19:31 > 0:19:37we had got the keys to our new house on the Wednesday.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41By the Sunday night, my younger brother was found dead.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44It should have been a happy time, moving into our new house,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48but, I suppose it turned into a sad time.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50You know.
0:19:50 > 0:19:57Then, a few weeks after that, my father was found dead.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59He had died in England.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06So, I suppose, at that stage, I was pretty crushed.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Yes, crushed is the word.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17A lot of loss, death and disappoint to manage.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Experiencing all of that is tough...
0:20:22 > 0:20:28Perhaps, your way of managing it was to go back to other ways,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31really, because there is so much of it really.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36It is making me look at what has happened over the past year and why have I not got the results.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41I can come up with excuses, but, you know, as I say,
0:20:41 > 0:20:44is that even acceptable?
0:20:47 > 0:20:50I think it's always a tricky thing,
0:20:50 > 0:20:54differentiating between excuses and understanding.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Maybe, you haven't...
0:20:57 > 0:21:00I guess deeply understood
0:21:00 > 0:21:04the impact that these awful losses have on you.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Often there is an emptiness in people's lives that they fill up
0:21:11 > 0:21:14either by being over busy or overeating.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17They don't stay with the underlying feelings.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21I think that is what has happened to Cara in the last year.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Although Cara's recent bereavement has prevented
0:21:30 > 0:21:34her from reaching her target weight, her family's progress has continued.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40I suppose the children have been sheltered from how I'm feeling
0:21:40 > 0:21:42and my emotions at the minute.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47Today isn't all about problems. It is about celebrating their success.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51That was part of the motivation for coming back and doing another show,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55to show people that young children can do, it can be done.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59It is a massive task for children of that age to shed two stone.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Dr Rachel has an idea.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08Working together she introduces the thought of a family first aid kit to
0:22:08 > 0:22:12remind them of the support they gave to each other in difficult times.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Cara, what do you think it is that
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Ryan might do that helped you when you're feeling low or upset?
0:22:18 > 0:22:21He would wait till it's quite and everyone else and come to me
0:22:21 > 0:22:24and say, "What's wrong, Mummy?"
0:22:24 > 0:22:28So asking how somebody is.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31It sounds like you're really thoughtful about it, you take your time
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- and pick the right moment.- Yes.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40What does Johnny do that helps you?
0:22:40 > 0:22:45When knows that I'm having a bad day, or a bad time, he would make a healthy lunch and bring it down
0:22:45 > 0:22:48to work without saying he was coming down.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52So that I wouldn't go out and make the wrong food choices at lunchtime.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- Wow!- I think we'll work as a team.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I think the two children are in that team.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02But I think really, the three of us have to support her,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05because she has done it for you two.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10Just for a wee while, we have to do that for Cara.
0:23:11 > 0:23:17'It was just incredible to see how many things that they've had to cope with.
0:23:17 > 0:23:23'But also how many ideas they've had about how to do that and to stay strong as a family.'
0:23:23 > 0:23:27I'd like you to help me, Ryan, by just ripping the page off,
0:23:27 > 0:23:32folding it up and putting it inside this first aid kit box.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35'I'm hoping by them taking away the first aid kit,'
0:23:35 > 0:23:38there will always be a remainder of the things
0:23:38 > 0:23:43they can all use to support each other, especially in really difficult times.
0:23:44 > 0:23:50I know now that my emotions are quite high and I am not OK.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53And that I do need help.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Maybe they'll inspire me and motivate me.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01It's the end of the reunion in Armagh, have the families
0:24:01 > 0:24:04got the answers now to get them back on track?
0:24:06 > 0:24:11The two days of being in Amanda's company has given us a kick up the backside,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15that I need as a mum too to try and think healthy choices for dinner.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20She is reinforcing things we learned the first time round
0:24:20 > 0:24:22and maybe have forgotten about.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25It's really good to catch up where everybody is
0:24:25 > 0:24:27and how they are feeling.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32We've realised a lot.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37In many ways I don't think it will ever be completed, it'll be a life long thing, you know...
0:24:37 > 0:24:38But it becomes easier.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40We have the experience,
0:24:40 > 0:24:45we've all the knowledge that we need we don't really need the experts.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47We can continue this own.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52We've sorted the children out so this year will be about me getting myself sorted out.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Meeting the others again has been the boost Isobel and Nick have been craving.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07While their weight loss is minimal they have now introduced
0:25:07 > 0:25:10healthy eating and exercise into their lives.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15I feel 1,000% better than I used to.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19There is much more va-va-voom, if you like.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21It can only get better from here on in.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25I don't think I'm ever going to like it,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28but it's not as much of a hardship.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32This time round, there's definitely something clicked there that'll keep me at it.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38We went on holiday in France and as hard as it was,
0:25:38 > 0:25:42you know, I never had one croissant.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47There has been a distinct change in the way we shop and cook and eat.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51When we were in France, I was drinking a whole lot more water
0:25:51 > 0:25:54than I had been doing and I actually could feel more energetic.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03Peer pressure is very hard with children. That's the hardest bit.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It is not fair that other people can eat what they want.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10I think that as well, you know.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16Since the reunion Cara's determination has been at an all time high.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20She has managed to lose more than two stone with the help of her
0:26:20 > 0:26:21personal trainer Tony.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24When I came into the gym six weeks ago,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26I didn't even think I could even walk on the treadmill
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and Tony reassured me from the minute I walked through the door,
0:26:29 > 0:26:34that if had his hands into me for a couple of weeks I'd be flying.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37His style works for me. Some people would call it harassment.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45It's actually now Cara saying to me "Shall we go to the gym?" when I don't want to go.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49There's a different focus this time, it is
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Cara taking care of herself.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Cara's always had the focus, but life sometimes throws up things
0:26:55 > 0:27:00to people that they can't deal with for a while.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I know where I want to be, right down to the pound now
0:27:03 > 0:27:05and I am striving to that goal.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10I suppose I am getting great inspiration from the children
0:27:10 > 0:27:12and Johnny.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16I couldn't see the wood for the trees before that.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19The kids have kept themselves on track. It's their determination too.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Ryan says, "I'm going swimming" then Ellie says she doesn't.
0:27:22 > 0:27:28Or the next day Ellie says she's going and the two of them go. It's that helping each other.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Rosie and Ellen are no longer focused on just weight.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46They are applying what they have learned to all aspects of their lives.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51It's hard sometimes to keep focused,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53yeah, in your normal everyday life.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Sometimes you find things slip away a wee bit.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00I think we have both learned some very good habits from the
0:28:00 > 0:28:04experience and we've kept them in our lives just naturally now.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09I don't know, it's changed my life
0:28:09 > 0:28:13and I am really excited to see what's ahead of me.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17The motivation can't really come just from wanting to be thin.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22The problems that you had will still be there,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25so it's got to be a holistic approach to the whole thing,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29the head has to be right and the body really will follow on.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd