Sharon Mitchell, 42, from Howden in Livingston, used to tip the scales at more than 17 stone and started to struggle with the physical demands of her passion for showing her four beloved dogs Gary, Nadia, Erin and Waro.

Running around arenas with the animals at the many dog shows across the country she visited had become virtually impossible due to her size, and her partner John had to shoulder most of the responsibility.

After shedding an amazing six stone, Mrs Mitchell became fitter and healthier.

Ironically, it was going to dog shows which led to Mrs Mitchell becoming overweight but she turned this around to train German shepherd Nadia as a champion show dog at a prestigious show in Germany in November.

She also won a £500 wager she made with her husband who put the cash down as an incentive to lose four stone before the German show.

"You have to put a lot of work into a dog to make it a champion and exercise and train it everyday," said Mrs Mitchell, who works as a credit controller.

"All the travelling to the dog shows had led me to develop some bad eating habits and we would often pick up a takeaway a few times a week on our way home.

"My weight crept up and up and I couldn't face the reality of how big I had become.

"That was, however, until I saw a picture of myself at one of the shows and couldn't believe that the fat person in it was me.

"It was this that I was struggling with but after losing six stone I felt fitter, healthier and had more energy and motivation to get the dogs into tip-top condition so I was over the moon when Nadia became a champion.

"Only a happy, well balanced and well exercised dog will be able to reach its full potential."


Mrs Mitchell dropped from a size 20 to a 12 at the West Lothian branch of All About W8 and she has thanked the members of the group for their support.

Her consultant Kay Lynn said: "Sharon is a tremendous person and puts in more than she takes out. She is a great help to the others in the group and is a really focused individual and I think she lost the six stone within a matter of 15 weeks, which is brilliant."

For more information on All About W8 contact 0844 544 7124 or e-mail westlothian@allaboutw8.co.uk