Fanta out... and fantasy fulfilled

For almost two decades, Janet Sandberg drank two litres of Fanta a day. It was only when her father died from diabetes in 2015 that the 47-year-old civil servant, from Warlingham, Surrey, got a wake-up call. Janet, who is married to Jan, 50, and has a daughter Vanessa, 27, swapped pop for water and changed her life. I was always big as I came from a West Indian background, eating large portions of food, snacking on sweets and crisps, and drinking only Fanta – no tea, coffee or water, just Fanta. At school I was given the nickname Jan Bull because I was the size of an ox. The turning point was in 2015 when my dad Leason was hospitalised with diabetes. He was 91 and had survived on greasy takeaways and sugar. He was in so much pain towards the end. When he finally died in the September, I felt my world had fallen apart. I went for a free over-40s health check and while I didn’t have diabetes, I knew it could only be a matter of time. My cholesterol was sky-high and I was grossly overweight. I knew if I didn’t change my ways I’d die young. So I started following the Rosemary Conley online course, where the focus was on portion sizes and lifestyle changes – no crash diets. The 321 diet meant I had 800 calories for two days a week, then the other days I could eat normally, but making healthy food swaps such as baked rather than roast potatoes. Straight away I cut out the Fanta, and within a week I slept so much better and had so much more energy. Within four months, by March last year, I noticed my clothes getting baggy and people started complimenting me. I didn’t obsess over weighing myself, but knew I wanted to lose a total of six stone, going down to 12st. Every time I had a bad moment, I’d remember my dad lying in hospital and promise him I wouldn’t give up. I started doing exercise videos and by last August I’d lost all the weight and felt so proud of myself. I weigh less now than I did when I was 13!