A single mother has shared how she lost more than 7st – after the pressure of raising her son alone led her weight to spiral out of control.
Jade Wilkinson, 29, from Cambridgeshire, said she was always ‘chubby’ from a young age but she gained weight when she became pregnant with her first child at 18.
The mother-of-one who works as a part-time cleaner, said the pressure of being a single mum to her son meant she resorted to comfort eating.
She would feast on two Tesco meal deals in one-sitting, eat fast food, takeaways and guzzle fizzy drinks and three Red Bulls a night.
Jade’s high-calorie diet caused her weight to balloon, peaking at around 18 stone in May 2018, leaving her feeling ‘miserable’.
The following year, she decided to take action, and after joining a slimming group and starting to take 10,000 steps a day, she started to see results.
Jade Wilkinson, 29, from Cambridgeshire, (pictured, left, before the weight loss, and right, after) tipped the scales at around 18 stone at her heaviest in May 2018. The single mother, pictured after the weight loss, managed to shed 7st in less than a year
In 2019, Jade signed up for Slimming World and followed their meal plans, swapping her high-calorie fizzy drinks for diet drinks and incorporating healthy and nutritious food into her meals. She went from a size 22 (left) to a 10 (right) in just 11 months
Jade eventually grew fed up with her unhealthy eating habits when she realised she was struggling to be active with her son thanks to her weight.
The mum decided to change her lifestyle once and for all.
Jade said: ‘I used to reach for ready meals and takeaway out of laziness and boredom.’
‘I was miserable, I was lazy, I hated what I saw when I looked in the mirror, and I felt like I couldn’t do things with my son because of the way I felt and looked.
‘Something had to be done.’
The single mum said she gained weight when she became pregnant at 18 but the pressure of raising a son alone made her resort to comfort eating and it spiraled out of control
She eventually grew fed up with her unhealthy eating habit and after a complete lifestyle change, Jade ditched her high-calorie diet and started walking 10,000 steps a day
The part-time cleaner said her motivation to lose weight came when she realised she was struggling to be active with her son thanks to her weight. (Jade pictured with her son Harley)
In 2019, Jade signed up for Slimming World and followed their meal plans, swapping her high-calorie fizzy drinks for diet drinks and incorporating healthy and nutritious food into her meals.
She cut down her carbohydrate intake and began cooking food from home, skipping out on her usual fat-packed takeaways.
Jade also started walking 10,000 steps a day and made sure she drank a lot of water to keep hydrated.
Her new healthy regimen meant the weight started to drop off and by April 2019 she had lost more than 7st stone in just 11 months.
She now weighs 11st, and her dress size has gone from a size 22 to a size 10.
Jade said: ‘I changed my diet to healthy foods, fruit, salads, vegetables, meats, healthy picky bits and sugar-free drinks.
‘I would eat fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, salad or an omelette for lunch, a healthy meal such as steak with sweet potato fries, and salad for dinner.
Before changing her diet, Jade would feast on two Tesco meal deals in one-sitting, eat fast food, takeaways and guzzle fizzy drinks and three Red Bulls a night
Now she has ditched the ready meals and eats healthy foods like fruit, salads, vegetables, meats, healthy snacks and sugar-free drinks
‘Then I would snack on fruit or low-calorie snacks throughout the day.
‘Though I would have the odd treat here and there, I tried to fill myself up on good foods.
‘I never thought I even had it in me to even lose a stone, let alone nearly eight.
‘But I tried and on my first week, I lost seven pounds. I kept going and had lost more weight as time went on.
‘I began to receive compliments and feel better, happier, more confident in myself and it was a better feeling than any that I had gotten from comfort eating.
‘I am proud of myself. Don’t get me wrong, I still have wobbly bits, loose skin and compare myself to others, but I am such a happier, more active and better version of myself now.’
At the start of her weight loss journey, Jade set herself a target of 10,000 steps per day – something she now often triples, regularly walking 30,000 steps per day.
Her new healthy regimen meant the weight started to drop off and by April 2019 she had lost more than seven stone in just 11 months
Jade now weighs 11 stone, and her dress size has decreased from a size 22 to a size 10 and said she feels happier and more confident in herself
The proud mother says she still has loose skin and ‘wobbly bits’ after shedding the stones but said she is ‘a happier, more active and better version of’ herself
The mum said she now feels happier and more confident in herself, which was the most important change of all.
Jade still eats her favourite foods, such as chocolate, but in moderation.
She said: ‘I still love to walk, I normally do 100,000 steps a week.
‘I am more confident and aware of the good and bad foods now so I have more options of healthy foods I can eat, but I am human and I do have bad days where the chocolate cravings win.’
In a few words of advice to others who wish to get started on their fitness journey, Jade added: ‘If you want it enough, you can do it – it won’t happen overnight.
‘Some days will be harder than others, some days you will fail, but don’t give up. Make up for it the following day and start fresh.’
At the start of her weight loss journey, Jade set herself a target of 10,000 steps per day but she now often triples that amount, regularly walking 30,000 steps per day
Jade said that even though she sometimes has days when her cravings for chocolate ‘win’ she advised others on their own weight-loss journey not to give up and to start again tomorrow