Long, stressful hours in the office saw unhealthy lifestyle habits eat their way into Ms Caroline Wooi, 25. Fresh from university then, the newly minted engineer coped by eating indulgently.

'I would realise only after I had finished eating something that I hadn't even wanted to eat it in the first place,' Ms Wooi said.

When working nights, she ate mostly fast food like chicken wings.

She had always been overweight, but over two years, her weight ballooned to more than 122kg. She began to have trouble walking. She also felt depressed.

Her blood pressure was bordering on high and she spent as little time moving about as possible. Her immunity was low and she fell sick often, catching a cold or flu bug easily.

Her worried mother finally dragged her to the Singapore General Hospital's Life Centre. Ms Wooi recalled that she was hesitant.

'I thought it would be like some strict military camp, that people would be always scolding me,' she said.

Instead, she found a supportive environment where she met people with similar 'battle of the bulge' issues.

In the four months since, Ms Wooi has worked with a doctor, dietitian, physiotherapist and psychologist to address her various issues.

She has gone from having no control over what she ate to making more informed choices. From not exercising at all, she has progressed to exercising regularly, twice a week.

'It wasn't easy. My ankles hurt so much when I first started that I didn't want to come back,' she laughed.

But the regime she underwent led to a 19kg weight loss - and a far happier disposition too.

She made friends in the group of people who had also signed up for the obesity management programme.

'I try to go to the group sessions because people share what they have faced and I feel that I'm not the only one going through this problem,' she said.

This feeling of belonging makes her look forward to the twice-weekly workout sessions that she had earlier equated with torture.

'At first, my mum had to force me to go. Now, there are times when she wants me to do something and I find myself saying, 'Today cannot, got gym',' said Ms Wooi, whose blood pressure has come down to normal.

Her frequent bouts of cold and flu are a thing of the past.

One of the things she has learnt through the programme is the ability to cope with stress.

'I don't disappear into my own world like I used to,' she said.

But she acknowledges that she still has a long way to go.

'I want to lose another 30kg and I would like to keep coming to the gym at the centre to manage my weight,' she said.