I beat my Lucozade addiction and lost 8 STONE
A FIZZY drink addict who downed five bottles of Lucozade a day has shed eight stone after ditching her habit.
Em Carter ballooned to 17 stone and suffered extreme heart palpitations due to her energy drink cravings.
The 25-year-old made three trips a day to buy bottles of full-sugar Lucozade.
She ordered takeaways at 3am and waited for them outside her house so her parents would not hear.
After years of denying her health problems, Em finally took steps to tackle them in 2018.
She said: “All the signs that I needed to change were there, I just had to accept it.
“I wasn’t just putting weight on, I was fighting a mental illness and addiction. It was killing me and I needed to change or I’d be dead.”
Em began teaching herself how to cook and eat well with YouTube videos.
She swapped sugary snacks for carb-free alternatives such as carrots with hummus.
Her new lifestyle saw her shed eight stone in 12 months to fit into a size six.
Em, of Wavertree, Liverpool, said: “I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety at nine, which I think played a huge part in my later life and contributed to my eating habits. I turned to food and fizzy drinks as a form of therapy, and was always in denial.
“I drank four or five bottles of Lucozade a day, I was robotic – making three trips to the shop a day to get more.”
She added: “I was so out of my own head that I hid food and drinks under my coat so that my parents didn’t see.
“It came to a point where it affected my health massively, I had a pale complexion and was mentally low.
“Going cold turkey on the sugar was hard. I had bad withdrawal symptoms, shaking in bed, my heart was racing and I was terrified – I felt like my body would explode.”
She now wants to help others who might be battling an extreme food addiction.
Em said: “I’ve set up an Instagram account where I offer people support.
“I want people to know that no matter what you are going through, you can get yourself back and do it on a budget.
“You’ve just got to accept it and do it yourself. Don’t look at what others are doing, find what works for you, and see where it takes you.”