A carer who drank 10 cans of Irn-Bru a day to cope with losing her home and job has lost 5.5st – after switching to the sugar-free version.
Shannon Palmer, 26, had her life turned “upside down” after her childhood home burned down, and she was sacked a day later.
The fizzy pop addict fell into a “deep depression”, turning to takeaways and Irn-Bru to help her cope.
She ballooned from a size 12 to a size 24, tipping the scales at 17st by the summer of 2017.
But Shannon felt “afraid” to wear a bikini on a 2018 holiday in Spain – and vowed to transform her life.
She came back and joined Slimming World, losing 5.5st in a year – thanks to sugar-free Irn-Bru and a healthy diet.
Her instagram page detailing her weight loss journey @thelittlelifeofshazzap has almost 30,000 followers.
She hopes it will help inspire young girls struggling with their weight.
Recalling the 2017 house fire, triggered by a tumble dryer explosion, Shannon said: “I was heartbroken, we lost everything. My mum nearly died in the fire and I was made redundant at work the next day – after working there for four years.”
Bullied at school, fast food and fizzy drinks became a “refuge”.
Introduced to Slimming World by her boyfriend’s sister Amy Pugh, Shannon – from Bradford – discovered she weighed more than 17st 4lb.
She has lost weight every week – other than on her birthday – and is now 11st. The secret was not to give up Irn-Bru completely.
She said: “If I don’t have one I’ll start feeling funny and get a little angry. It’s about moderation.”
She added: “I get lots of messages from people who want to know how I turned it around. And I want to say there’s a healthy and realistic way for any girl to feel confident, and they don’t need to starve themselves.”
