‘I punished myself with over-exercising’
Pav Johal, 40, lives in Maidenhead with her two children, eight and six.
When I’m in the gym lifting weights, I feel incredible. Exercise hasn’t always brought me joy though – as a teen I used it to punish myself.
At uni, like a lot of students living off a bad diet, I gained weight. ‘No one will marry you looking like that,’ a family member warned. They thought they were looking out for me. But I started weighing myself twice a day, waking up early for a long walk and exercising three times a day. My weight plummeted and I was miserable. I felt anxious if I hadn’t