Tara McNeil was a 'heavy' child, a 'chunky' child. So she was put on her first diet when she was just ten years old and, like most people on diets, she would lose weight, reach her goal and then a few weeks or months later, go back up again-plus a little.

By going on one of the fad diets, she managed to get herself down to 137 pounds in time for her high school graduation but then she got sick and her doctor advised her to stop. She gained 18 pounds in two weeks.

And so it went. She weighed 210 pounds by the time she was 19 and then, in her words, continued to diet herself up to 273 pounds by the time she was 26.

At one point she couldn't lose weight on 800 calories a day because her body was so messed up; however, when she decided to go to Japan to teach English one of those diets got her down to 210. Being in Japan, she says, helped her maintain at that weight.

Because she had blond hair, blue eyes and spoke English, she was popular over there. Her self confidence began to improve and with that she started walking into rooms with her head up and her shoulders back. She looked great.

When she came home for a visit, she maintained that same posture … and somehow she began of feel that people here at home were friendlier, more interested in her, more accepting than before. Had they changed or had she? I think we all know the answer to that question.

Soon she decided to stay at home and the yoyo dieting was replaced with fitness and good nutrition. That change in lifestyle was followed by the studies required to become a personal trainer, life coach and workshop leader.

She had found her passion; her place in the world, and began teaching two 'full figure' classes a week but that soon grew to 14. She also offers one-on-one fitness training and healthy living workshops.

Tara has a number of tips to help people get healthier and lose weight; more than I can list here, so you might want to go to hr web site at www.theshapeyourarein.com.

The tip I liked best, at least as I understood it, is to focus on learning to love the real you, the you that lies deep inside. When you do, you’ll find the Hidden Hero that lies inside each one of us. With that discovery, your self confidence will grow and you'll start to not only accept but to love the way you look outside … just the way you are.

That's when, assuming you eat well and exercise, the weight will begin to fall off.

It's not hard to see why Tara was the 2007 Vancouver Island Visionary Under 40 award winner, and also a finalist in Nanaimo's 2007 Sterling Awards. She’s an inspiration.