A sales assistant who topped the scales at 17st 1lb says she now feels like the person she was “meant to be” after losing five stone. The 27-year-old began to pile on the pounds when she left school and started clubbing at the age of 18.
Kerstin Stewart, from Paignton, Devon, said she barely noticed that her weight was creeping up as she started her first job and enjoyed the freedoms of adult life. This included boozy nights out followed by fast food, driving everywhere, and avoiding exercise.
But after reaching a dress size 20 at 5ft 5in - with a BMI of 39.8 that is classified as obese - Kerstin’s weight began to bother her. In January 2018 she joined her local Slimming World class on the advice of a friend who had slimmed down, and she quickly began to shed the pounds.
Kerstin set an ultimate goal of reaching 12st, which she achieved this summer, losing a total weight of over 5st by attending her Slimming World meeting each week and sticking to the plan.
She said: “I lost four pounds in my first week and a stone in the first three months. It was amazing and gave me that self-belief to know I could do it. I loved that you weren’t restricted on what you can eat and the group was so fun.”
Kerstin has also become a keen swimmer, heading to the pool three times a week. After four and a half years of learning new eating habits Kerstin is now at her goal weight of 12st.
She said: “When I hit my target, I cried. I couldn’t believe it. I am so much happier now and I feel like I have become the person I was meant to be.
“Life used to seem so dull and black and white. But now, life is more colourful. I feel like I’m more me.”
Kerstin added: “I had been dreaming about that day for such a long time. “It’s the proudest thing I have ever done in my life.”
After reaching her target the sales assistant celebrated with a ‘fakeaway’, a 5% fat burger with chips - one of Slimming World’s alternatives to high calorie takeaways. She also headed to Torbay to learn how to paddleboard with family.
Despite being on “the bigger side” at school, Kerstin kept her weight down by being active. It was only when she started working full time that her weight began to pile on.
Kerstin, who is single, said: “I used to play netball and rounders at school but once I left, and went into full-time work, I basically became inactive. I started driving and stopped walking anywhere, and going out at the weekends, and the weight just started piling on.
“I would do the stereotypical drinking all night, then go to the fast-food places and go home. But even at home, Kerstin realised her meals were not always the healthiest.
She said: “I used to cook with oil and full fat meat or cream, or use jars of sauces which have lots of sugar and salt. My weight was always on my mind, but I knew that deep down, I wasn’t ready to do anything about it yet.”
But Kerstin’s weight loss journey wasn’t a boring four and a half years with Kerstin even spending five-weeks in Australia on holiday in March 2018. She said: “I didn’t restrict myself on holiday, I enjoyed myself. But as soon as I got back, I went back on the plan and lost all the holiday weight within a week or two.”
By January 2020 Kerstin had dropped to 14st. She believes that her weight loss is mainly due to changing the way she was cooking, rather than what she was eating.
She said: “I swapped oil to Frylight, which is a lighter cooking oil alternative, and changed my full fat meat to lean meat, and cut off the fat. Then I swapped jars of sauce for tinned tomatoes and just packed my meals full of vegetables.”
At weekends Kerstin made choices that fit within the Slimming World plan, including choosing spirits over a sugary pint. She said: “I drank spirits instead of cider, and exchanged the fast-food with Iceland Slimming World frozen microwave meals.
Weight loss wasn’t the only change that Kerstin noticed, she said: “I instantly felt healthier, my mood was better and even my skin improved.” The sales assistant added that lockdown helped her slim down further as she was able to take “full control of what I was eating”, cooking 100% of her meals herself.
Having found her passion for swimming in December 2020 Kerstin even took on the Diabetes UK challenge for charity. She swam 22 miles in 12 weeks from March to June this year, an experience she called “amazing”.
Kerstin hopes she can encourage others too. She said: “I have been on the bigger side for as long as I can remember and I never imagined I could be here. As cheesy as it sounds, if I can do it, then anyone can do it.”
Kerstin's Diet Before
Breakfast: Toast spread with butter and jam (ranging from 2-8 slices)
Lunch: Sandwich with shop-bought sandwich filler, crisps and chocolate biscuit
Dinner: Pasta with a jar of pasta sauce, garlic bread
Snacks: Chocolate, crisps
Drinks: Full sugar fizzy pop and squash, cider
Kerstin's Diet After
Breakfast: Sausage and egg wrap
Lunch: Jacket potato or pasta with salad or leftovers from dinner the night before
Dinner: Fakeaways: Burger and Slimming World chips, homemade thin base pizza, curry made from scratch or one pot wonders like Slimming World’s vegetable jambalaya
Snacks: High fibre bars, low fat crisps, low calorie popcorn, ham, lean chicken, boiled eggs, fat free yogurt, sugar free ice lollies
Drinks: Water, sugar free drinks, vodka and slimline tonic
