A mum who once gorged on three entire tubs of Cadbury’s Roses in single DAY lost 11 stone on a New Year diet – after popping out of her jeans.
Just 12 months ago Rachelle Thompson, 48, tipped the scales at 25 stone after years bingeing on takeaways, sugary treats and alcohol.
She hit rock bottom after scoffing three 660g family-sized round tubs of Cadbury’s Roses in one sitting over a previous Christmas – washed down with a bottle of wine.
But she was spurred into action after she plonked onto the sofa on New Year’s Day last year – and her belly burst out of her size 28 jeans jeans.
She grabbed a bin bag and filled it with all the sugary, fatty and processed foods in her home – and all the booze – and started a slimming club.
A year on determined Rachelle, from Bangor, north Wales, has lost 11 stone in just a year and now fits into size 12-14 clothes.
She said: “In the ten days leading up to Christmas 2016, I sat on my backside and just ate and ate.
“I always go to my mum and dad’s for Christmas and they do a huge roast, but I was stretching my tummy well beyond preparation.
“In one sitting I scoffed three boxes of Roses chocolates and washed it down with a bottle of wine, then got stuck into the mince pies and peanuts the following day.
“I felt sick but at the time I didn’t care- it was like I kept on eating to punish myself for overeating.
“On New Year’s Day, after returning home from my parents, I remember my size 28 jeans popping open as I sat down on the sofa.
“I was mortified. I knew I was big but I had been in complete denial.
“I decided there and then the booze and junk food binges had to end.
“If it wasn’t for the extreme binge I’d put myself through over Christmas, I would never have faced the music.
“As cliche as it sounds, my jeans popping open really was the eye-opener for me!
“My eating was out of control all-year- round, but this time of year things do tend to escalate for people like me who have an addiction to food.”
Mum-of-two Rachelle, who works in a bookmakers, started to put on weight after her second son, now 15, was born.
When her eldest, aged 20, went to uni and her son started to grow less dependent on her, she started going out with friends more.
“I decided it was time for some girly nights out because I was lonely,” she said.
“I could easily sink four or five bottles of beer or cider, then four or five vodkas with coke and top that off with a few shots.
“The binge drinking sessions would be followed by intense eating sessions which could last all week until the next time I went out.”
But it was Christmas 2016 that came as crunch time for Rachelle after a festive time filled with indulgences.
She joined a slimming club and was the heaviest in the group – but began cutting out fizzy drinks, all booze and turned her back on packaged foods.
She worked out five nights a week and lost two stone in her first month, ten stone in ten months, and a year later has lost a total of nearly 11 stone.
She said: “If you join a slimming club in January there are likely to be dozens of people in the same situation as you, and you all set off together on the same foot.
“January is a great time to put your mistakes behind you and start again.”
BEFORE –
Breakfast: White toast with butter and jam
Morning snacks: Full pack of chocolate digestive biscuits
Lunch: Shop bought sandwich and packet of crisps
Afternoon snacks: Chewy sweets
Dinner: Take-away or ready meal
Evening snacks: Large bag of popcorn or family bag of crisps
Drinks: Fizzy drinks and sugary hot drinks
NOW –
Breakfast: Oatmeal made with cinnamon and berries
Morning snacks: Carrot sticks with homemade hummus
Lunch: Homemade quinoa and chicken salad
Afternoon snacks: Piece of fruit
Dinner: Homemade meal such as prawn stir-fry
Evening snacks: Sugar-free jelly or Greek yoghurt with mango
Drinks: Lots of water and tea/coffee without sugar
