From gorging on burgers to fruit: One woman lost 14st in 18months
Crowned as Slimming World's Woman Of The Year 2015, Cheryl Blythe defied medical advice to undergo weight loss surgery – in favour of simply adopting a healthier lifestyle.
The 33-year-old’s unhealthy lifestyle included skipping breakfast and feasting on her food of choice: a burger topped with doner kebab meat.
She regularly gorged on large chocolate bars, baguettes and cheesy chips – and would polish off a full pack of biscuits as a snack.
The mother-of-two was advised by doctors that she should consider a gastric band and that if she did not lose weight, she would be dead or at least confined to a wheelchair by aged 45.
On a day out with friends, Cheryl, who lives in Essex, realised just how much her weight affected her daily life.
Cheryl has now revealed: “My weight affected everything we did that day — my back was so painful, we had to keep stopping when we were walking so I could catch my breath, I couldn’t fit in some chairs because they were too small, and I felt like everyone was staring at me the whole time.”
Cheryl pinpoints her teenage pregnancy as the catalyst for her radical weight gain, which ballooned throughout her 20s.
“I knew my health wasn’t good and the things I heard from my doctor scared me, but I always prioritised other people.”
Following her transformation, Cheryl has lost 14st 3lb, reducing her weight from 24st 3lb to an amazing 10st.
And, as listed below, Ms Blythe began her epic weight loss journey by swapping foods loaded with carbs and sugar with home cooked meals and sensible snacks…
Before
- Breakfast – nothing.
- Lunch – half a baguette filled with chicken and mayonnaise, a big bag of crisps and four chocolate bars.
- Dinner – half-pounder cheese burger with doner meat on top and a portion of cheesy chips.
- Snacks – large chocolate bars, share-size bags of crisps and whole packs of biscuits.
After
- Breakfast – grilled lean bacon (visible fat removed), tomatoes and mushrooms with two poached eggs.
- Lunch – jacket potato topped with home-made chilli con carne.
- Dinner – home-made spaghetti Bolognese topped with 40g grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese.
- Snacks – fresh fruit, fat-free yoghurts, a small chocolate bar and an individual-sized bag of Walker's Quavers.
