I couldn’t resist the temptation of a midnight snack, but a health shock made me curb my late-night cravings. By Kim Carey, 29
Lounging on the sofa after a long day, I felt a familiar grumble in my tummy.
I looked at my phone and realised it was midnight.
Time to eat, I thought.
I’d been a late-night snacker ever since I was a teenager working at McDonald’s.
Despite devouring Big Macs at lunchtime, I’d be ravenous by the end of my shift, and the hunger would hit me in the early hours.
So I’d ring up a place that did late-night Chinese takeaways and order in a treat.
But over the years, my late-hour feasting had seen my weight creep up to 15st 3lb, a size 20.
Dieting only ever saw me shift a couple of stone, before it all piled back on.
‘I wish I could lose weight,’ I complained to my husband Alex one evening.
‘You’re perfect as you are,’ he replied, giving me a kiss.
But I felt far from it.
The following day, I noticed a cluster of pimples on my chin. Then, as I ran a brush through my brown locks, huge clumps of hair fell out.
I went to my GP who ran a blood test and told me I had an underactive thyroid.
‘If it gets worse, you could be on medication for life,’ he warned.
I’d need regular blood tests to monitor it, then he gently added: ‘The best thing you could do for now would be to lose weight.’
I left feeling utterly deflated because it was the one thing I’d never managed to do.
Back home in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, I cooked the kids their usual healthy dinner, before reaching for some frozen burgers for myself.
But then I stopped myself and pulled out my phone instead to do some research on weight loss.
Eventually, I came across something called intermittent fasting, which involved not eating for certain periods — often from 8pm in the evening, to 12 noon the following day.
I decided to give it a go.
I’d never been a breakfast person so figured not eating until midday would be easy.
To fight the midnight munchies I swapped processed burgers, for filling proteins such as grilled chicken and healthier carbs like quinoa.
I started weight training at home and running to the train station before work.
It was tough but knowing my health was on the line made me power through, and within a month I’d dropped a stone.
When I got down to 12 stone Alex was able to pick me up and hoist me over his shoulders — something he’d hadn’t been able to do in the 17 years we’d known each other!
A couple of months later, after dropping the kids at school, I got a call from my doctor.
‘Your thyroid is functioning normally again,’ he said.
I felt so proud of myself, I could’ve burst.
Now, I weigh 10st 2lb and wear a size 8-10.
Binning my midnight feasts was the key to success and I feel fitter and healthier for it.
Height: 5ft 2in
Before: 15st 3lb Size 20
After: 10st 2lb Size 8-10
Total loss: 5st 1lb
Diet before
Breakfast: full English fry-up
Lunch: chicken nuggets and chips
Dinner: pasta, garlic bread
Snacks: Indian or Chinese takeaway
Diet now
Breakfast: black coffee and lemon water
Lunch: quinoa salad with Ryvita
Dinner: chicken with rice and veggies
Snacks: fruit