We’ve lost 11 stone!
Kelly Digweed lost SIX stone, then turned her attention to her daughter…
Sinking into the sofa, I reached into the pizza box and took a bite of the cheesy, doughy goodness. ‘You just can’t beat it, can you?’ I mumbled to my husband, Christopher.
‘ Well, you’ve certainly not tired of it yet,’ Christopher, a 49-year-old delivery driver, laughed.
I loved that about Christopher. He didn’t mind I was carrying extra cushion.
Before we’d got together, I’d spent years fretting about my weight, which had piled on after giving birth to my three children from a previous relationship – Chloe, now 21, Reece, 18, and Sam, 15 – and years of emotional eating. I suffered from depression and anxiety and food was the only thing that had helped me through.
But after my friendship with Christopher had turned into a relationship in 2006, all that changed. He loved me just the way I was, teaching me you didn’t need to be stick-thin to be happy. I walked down the aisle in June 2009 the heaviest I’d ever been – 15st 4lbs, 5ft 1in, a proud size 22.
Or at least I told myself
I was proud. It didn’t stop a pang of guilt twinging every time I glanced at the wedding photo on the mantelpiece in our house in Winchester.
But now, in February 2018, I pushed those niggles aside and decided to run a hot bath and indulge in some ‘me time’.
Squeezing into the tub, I took a sip of white wine and closed my eyes.
Pure indulgence…
But after I’d heaved myself out and made my way to the bedroom, my heart started racing and I felt faint. ‘Just too long in the hot water,’
I told myself.
But it wasn’t going away… I took deep breaths but a sense of panic swept over me. Was I having a heart attack? Everything turned black… ‘ What’s going on?’ I croaked when I opened my eyes. I was on the bedroom floor.
‘It’s all right, love,’ Christopher soothed. ‘I’ve called an ambulance.’
At Royal Hampshire County Hospital, the doctors told me it was a panic, rather than heart attack I’d suffered.
My anxiety usually flared up when travelling or away from home, not after a relaxing bath…
Even though doctors assured me my heart was completely fine, I couldn’t shake the sense of dread I’d felt hours before.
‘I need to change,’
I told Christopher. ‘I might not have had a heart attack, but, at this weight, I can’t be far off.’
My efforts to lose weight in the past had only ever resulted in a few pounds, and despite my determination, this time was no different. I ate healthily for a few days, maybe a week, before giving in to my favourite fatty foods
I knew if I wanted to change, I had to get help. So, on friends’ recommendations, at 13st 4lbs, I decided to join the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge
Weight Plan in November 2018.
With the support of my consultant, I cut my calories drastically and vowed
My best tip for losing weight: ‘Start today – the only regret I have about losing weight is not doing it sooner!’
to beat the bulge once and for all. Gone were my days of full English fry-ups and doner kebabs. Instead, I started eating their shakes, bars and soups during the day and a 200-calorie evening meal. To my surprise, I enjoyed it. The drastic overhaul paid off and, in just five weeks, I’d lost a stone.
There was no stopping me. I vowed to reach my target weight of 9st 4lbs by our 10th wedding anniversary in June 2019. We’d booked tickets to see our favourite artist, Pink, perform at Wembley Stadium and I wanted to feel fabulous. To my delight, just a month before, I did it. To celebrate, I bought two, size small T-shirts at the gig.
But, despite my elation, I couldn’t help noticing my daughter Chloe was struggling with her weight, too.
At 5ft 2in, she’d always been so active but since she’d started studying drama at the University of Portsmouth, she’d fallen into some bad eating habits. And now she was home for the summer, I’d noticed her new clothes were a size 20…
‘Everything alright?’ I asked, as she tucked into some chips.
‘Fine,’ she said. But I recognised the fake smile – I’d worn it myself over the years.
I didn’t push her, though. You have to make the decision to lose weight yourself.
‘ Well, if you ever want to talk… I’m here,’ I told her.
And at Christmas, she came back. ‘I’m 14st 10lbs, Mum,’ she confessed. ‘And I don’t want to be that big any longer.’
‘I’ll put you in touch with my weight-loss consultant,’ I told her, reassuringly. ‘If I can do it, you can too.’ And soon Chloe was cutting her calories, just like her mama.
I was so proud I’d inspired my daughter, I had an idea.
‘I’m going to train to be a consultant,’ I told Christopher.
‘That’s a brilliant idea,’ he encouraged.
After an intensive course, I became a qualified 1:1 Diet consultant in January 2019. And I couldn’t have asked for a better first student – Chloe. She’d started strong, losing 10lbs in her first week.
But sometimes it was hard to draw the line between Mummy and mentor.
‘I can’t believe I’ve only lost a pound,’ Chloe groaned, a couple of weeks in.
Part of me wanted to give her a hug and crack open the ice cream, but I knew I couldn’t.
‘Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture,’ I said, instead. ‘ You’re doing so well!’
With my support, and that of my original consultant, she didn’t give up and, just in time for summer, Chloe hit her target weight of 9st 10lbs.
Now I’m 39 and we’re both size 10s and are happier and healthier than we’ve ever been. The only thing better than losing weight was helping Chloe do it too. And the compliments are good too – people say we look more like sisters than mum and daughter!
Chloe says: ‘Seeing my mum’s transformation was the kick up the bum I needed. It’s only taken six months to catch up and I couldn’t be happier.’
‘It’s hard to draw a line between Mummy and the mentor’