LIVING in agony, Lizzy Owen was exhausted and barely able to walk up a flight of stairs.

She'd ballooned to a size 18 and as she piled on the pounds she was becoming more and more unhappy.

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However, the mum-of-four's reality check came when a family member pointed out just how big she was getting.

Determined to do something about her size, she signed up to her local Slimming World group and has since lose an impressive four stone in just nine months.

And she even managed to shed the pounds without giving up her favourite treats including chocolate and G&T.

Lizzy, 33, from Lincoln, said: "Before joining Slimming World I was very unhappy.

"I was tired, my joints hurts and my confidence was at an all-time low.

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"I got out of breath when walking up the stairs let alone doing any form of exercise.

"My turning point came when a family member pointed out how big I had got."You can't avoid that kind of mirror.

"So with a gentle nudge in the Slimming World direction from my auntie, I took the plunge and walked through those doors.

"I owe so much to my auntie for encouraging me to take control of my life."

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Since then Lizzy hasn't looked back and has slimmed down from a size 18 to a size 10/12 - despite at first having reservations about joining the slimming group.

Speaking to Lincolnshire Live, she added: "Before I plucked up the courage to walk through the doors to my local group I was super nervous, what if people laughed at me, what if people stared at me, what if I couldnt do it?

"All these questions were firing round my mind.

"But I neednt have worried as within five minutes of walking in I was plonked down with a cup of tea and truly welcomed.

"Like a lot of other people out there I had previously tried to lose weight by following a number of diets but they were never sustainable because I always felt restricted and I ended up having a really bad relationship with food.

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"I had resigned myself to being the size and weight I was for the rest of my life."

But, after overhauling her lifestyle, Lizzy said she feels like a new person.

She said: "It was like a light bulb went on in my head. It isnt a diet.

"Food optimising is wonderful. It is so easy to follow and nothing is completely off limits.

"You can have a cheeky gin and tonic or you can have that bit of chocolate you have been craving. One of my favourite meals is a veggie sausage casserole.

"A dish made completely out of free food and speed free food. Best of all my whole family loves it too! They are food optimising without even realising it."

The Slimming World diet is run by a Derbyshire-based weight loss company created by Margaret Miles-Bramwell in 1969.

It focuses on a diet of Food Optimising, where members are given a list of Syn Free food, that can be eaten in unlimited amounts.

Syns are short for synergy as the Free Foods, Healthy Extras and Syns all add up to effective weight loss.

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The programme encourages dieters to swap high-fat foods for low-fat foods that are naturally filling.

You can get support from fellow slimmers at weekly group meetings and follow an exercise plan to become gradually more active through their Body Magic initiative.

It's designed to help you lose about 1-2 pounds a week and currently has around 900,000 members attending each week.

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Original post:
Mums incredible 4st weight loss in just nine months on a diet of chocolate and G&Ts - The Sun