I couldn’t get enough of caffeine. But it was taking a serious toll on my body. By Kristy-Lee Fros, 37
Settling back on the sofa, I took a sip from my mug.
Nothing like the first brew of the day, I thought blissfully.
I was a proper coffee addict, drinking pints of it each day.
My love of a cuppa had started when I was a teenager. The GP had told me bluntly that I was fat and needed to lose weight.
‘I’m too fat to eat,’ I’d tell my friends whenever they offered me food.
Soon I was substituting meals for coffee. I just couldn’t get enough of it.
When I left my job in retail to be a stay-at-home-mum to three children, regular caffeine fixes kept me going through the day.
‘Another cup, Mum?’ my daughter Melanie, 19, asked.
‘You betcha!’ I replied.
But despite not eating breakfast or lunch, and only having meat with steamed veg for dinner, my weight had continued to rise until I was a size 22.
I couldn’t for the life of me work out why.
Then one day, my partner pulled out his phone.
‘Say cheese!’ he said.
And I beamed as he took a quick snap. But when I looked at the picture, I was mortified.
I’ve let myself go so badly, I realised.
But it was the wake-up call I needed.
I signed up to The Healthy Mummy weight loss service and they encouraged eating five or six small meals a day.
How can anyone lose weight with all that food? I wondered.
Nevertheless, I started planning out my meals for the week.
As I did, I had a shocking realisation. I’d been drinking more than 10 pints of coffee every day, all with full-fat milk!
No wonder I’d never lost weight.
Straightaway, I slashed my coffee to two cups a day.
It was difficult at first, and I suffered terrible withdrawal headaches.
But by the time I’d lost my first stone, my family had noticed the difference.
‘You have so much more energy now,’ Melanie told me.
As I grew fitter, I made a decision.
‘I’m going to apply for a housekeeper job in a hotel,’ I told the kids.
Before losing weight, I wouldn’t have had the energy for it. But the slimmer me was ready for a new challenge.
It wasn’t long before I landed my dream job.
Vacuuming room after room, I marvelled at how I no longer got out of breath from doing anything that needed effort.
I’ve now shed seven stone and I looking back at photos, I can hardly believe it!
Kicking my caffeine addiction was the best thing I ever did.
I can’t expresso how much fitter I feel!
Height: 5ft 2in
Before: 17st 7 lb Size 22
After: 10st 7 lb Size 10-12
Total loss 7st
Diet before
Breakfast: none
Lunch: none or a toastie
Dinner: meat and steamed veg
Snacks: coffee with full-fat milk
Diet now
Breakfast: porridge, smoothie
Lunch: low-cal pizzas, toasties
Dinner: pasta, kebabs with salad
Snacks: low-cal muffins, yoghurt