#StellaShapeUp: the story so far It's seven weeks since our #StellaShapeUp bloggers started a three-month weight-loss challenge, so how are they faring on their different regimes? With so many methods of body transformation to choose from, what is the most realistic way to shift weight and keep it off? Over a period of three months our three bloggers are each embarking on a different route to the same finish line: shaping up their bodies for the long term. We check in at the halfway point. Keep up with our three women's journeys via their online diaries, which are posted on the Telegraph beauty website every Friday, where they share exercise and nutrition tips as well as their weekly highs and lows. Their results will be published in Stella on 11 January. Click here to read Kimberly's weekly blog Age: 39 Height: 5ft 6in Weight: 15st 6lb (12 Oct: 16st 2lb) Waist: 112 cm (116cm) Bottom: 127cm (130cm) Upper arm: 35cm (36cm) Thigh: 68cm (68cm) BMI: 34.6 (36.5) Diet: I felt like a bus had hit me after the first two days of the Metabolic Balance diet, which requires you to fast and cut out caffeine and sugar. I felt sick, freezing cold and had a migraine, but I feel so much better now. I have become hypersensitive to sugar and can see how detrimental it was to my life. By day five of the diet my energy levels were through the roof. Now I wake up at 7am peppy and happy and my energy levels stay constant until 10pm, whereas before the diet I found it difficult waking up on time and had to take an afternoon nap every day. A rule of the Metabolic Balance three-month plan is that no aerobic exercise is allowed, so it's amazing to see the effect on my body of just changing my food choices. Petronella has given me a specific list of foods to eat based on my blood-test results. The hardest thing is finding time to plan and make meals. I was in New York with work for three weeks, which took my diet on a bit of a detour. I still followed most of the rules - leave five hours between meals, no snacks, drink four litres of water a day - but couldn't find specific foods on my list, such as a certain type of rye bread, and sneaked in ingredients not on the list, such as salad dressings. It's an improvement on my old New York diet of McDonald's and Oreo milkshakes, though. The cheat meal I am allowed once a week keeps my pizza and chicken-burger cravings under control, but I always feel guilty and sick afterwards. Petronella Ravenshear , Metabolic Balance nutritionist: Kimberly was doing so well before New York: the weight was dropping off and she felt in control. She cut out sugar, which was a huge achievement, as before she would happily eat a packet of biscuits in one sitting. But in New York those little cheat ingredients added up and caused her fat loss to come to a halt. It's easy to think a sweet salad dressing won't make much difference, but you can't do Metabolic Balance by halves - it's got to be followed precisely. Now that she is seeing me for weekly weigh-ins she will find it easier to keep on track because she knows I've got my eye on her. Click here to read Georgina's weekly blog Age: 26 Height: 5ft 7in Weight: 16st 1lb (12 Oct: 17st 7lb) Waist: 103cm (111cm) Bottom: 129cm (135cm) Upper arm: 40cm (41cm) Thigh: 78cm (80cm) BMI: 35.4 (36.7) Diet: I've been following James Duigan 's Clean&Lean diet, which is high in fat and protein and low in carbohydrates and recommends fresh, unprocessed foods. Sometimes it's hard to stick to, for example, when I have been out all day, and occasionally I have slipped up. After a flawless second week I ate rice noodles when I was out for dinner with a friend. I cried when I got home because I felt I had ruined my hard work, but I've realised now that sometimes life gets in the way of the best of intentions and that I shouldn't beat myself up. Chocolate is still my weakness but I am now able to put it away after eating only a square. I've been eating bigger breakfasts (the bigger, the better says Bodyism), which normally include chicken breast, goat's cheese and eggs with an avocado, tomato and pepper mash that I blend with fresh chilli to kick-start my metabolism. I find it makes me less hungry and less tempted to snack during the day. Making my food look good for Instagram is a huge motivation. Exercise: As much as my walk has turned to a waddle because my butt and thighs really ache all the time, I love going to the gym three times a week. My personal trainer Mike makes me feel like I can accomplish anything. I am noticeably better at doing the plank exercise: when I started I couldn't even hold the position for 20 seconds and now I can hold it for over a minute. I have also joined a local gym and have started going to use the cross-trainer machine twice to prepare me for life without Mike. My fiancé has joined too and I've been leading him in 25-minute sessions, which is the best feeling. Michael Tanner, Bodyism trainer: At the gym we do compound exercises, which means we don't isolate any areas of the body but do big movements such as squats, lunges and step-ups to work on as many muscle groups as possible. Georgina's quality of movement is so much better than it was before. After a few weeks of exercise people tend to plateau in terms of weight loss and interest, so Georgina's challenge is to keep consistent and motivated. We will up the intensity of her programme by increasing sets per exercise and adding new exercises every session. She puts a lot of effort into preparing food and her diet is great. Click here to read Alice's weekly blog Age: 36 Height: 5ft 9in Weight: 18st 6lb (12 Oct: 19st 4lb) Waist: 95cm (110cm) Bottom: 137cm (142cm) Upper arm: 39cm (40cm) Thigh: 72cm (80cm) BMI: 38.2 (40.2) Diet: When I have seen nutritionists before they have asked me to keep a food diary. I was always useless at it because I'd forget what I'd eaten or the list would get so long that I would give up. But with WatchFit I have to photograph everything I consume - including two cupcakes I ate in a weak moment. This visual record has had a huge impact. I don't want to see photos of unhealthy food in my diary, and want to do well because friends follow me on WatchFit - the app is like a public diet and exercise diary. I use the meal plans as a guide. The app suggests two different meals for lunch and dinner, but I don't always have time to make them. Planning is crucial. I have been making soup on a Sunday and freezing it in batches. The diet plan doesn't eliminate any food groups and allows treats in moderation, such as toast with jam or biscuits. But I'm trying to avoid sugar as I know it's not good for me. I'm a bit of a social recluse now. I used to go out for dinner almost every night, but now go out once a week because I find the food and alcohol too tempting. Exercise: All exercise is hideous when you are 19 stone, and I find this part of my plan horrific. I'm still trying to build up to the amount of sit-ups, lunges, squats and press-ups the app instructs. My body is so heavy and uncomfortable. If I had a personal trainer turning up at my door for a 6am run I'd do it, but it's taken longer than I expected to find the motivation to exercise by myself. I feel I've turned a corner, though, and I go to the gym more. I love my Polar Loop step-counter and am obsessed with hitting 10,000 steps a day. Parisa Louie , creator of the WatchFit app: Alice has been given a personalised, long-term food plan, which doesn't deprive her of any food groups, to help her avoid binge-eating. Alice was concerned about the occasional treat the plan allows, worrying it would give her a taste for sugar, and so she wasn't following it precisely. Now we have worked together to create a revised foods list with no temptations. She walks about 12,000 steps per day and some days more than 17,000. She's posted some photos of her working out in the gym, which I hope will motivate her to exercise when she looks back at them. Alice must log everything she eats, even if it is unhealthy. The more she sees the good things she has eaten, the more encouraged she will feel.