Woman who spent £200 a week on pizza loses six stone in 15 months

A young woman who would spend up to £200 a week on takeaways has overhauled her lifestyle and shed an impressive six stone in just 15 months.

Chelsea Pateman, 23, admits that she and husband Matt would order meals from local restaurants as often as four times per week, and could spend up to £50 each time, particularly when ordering from Pizza Hut.

'We would buy a large pizza or meal each, an extra meal to share, all the sides we wanted and desserts too,' she says. 'We wasted a lot of money on takeaways - it is shocking to think about now.'

In addition to the takeaways, Chelsea would snack on crisps, multiple chocolate bars and slices of cheese on toast, and drink sugary cans of Coca Cola - habits which led her weight to rise to 14st 7lbs. At her biggest, she wore a size 20 to 22.

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It was looking at pictures of herself on holiday in Poland in May 2014 that prompted Chelsea to overhaul her lifestyle and ditch her unhealthy choices.

'The pictures I was in, I looked absolutely huge,' she added. 'That was when I knew I needed to do something - I knew if I didn't I was just going to get bigger and bigger - so I joined Slimming World.'

Chelsea began to switch her usual meals for homemade curries, casseroles and stews, Despite also suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome, a symptom of which can be weight gain, she began to lose weight at a rate of a stone per month.

In September of the same year, Matt popped the question, and the upcoming wedding became another major source of motivation for Chelsea. When they tied the knot three months later, she wore a size 12 corset dress.

'I can't even imagine being as excited to walk down the aisle as I was if I'd still been that size, I wouldn't have wanted to be in any of the wedding pictures,' she adds.

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Chelsea hit her lowest weight of 8st 8lbs in November 2015 and now wears size eight to 10 clothes.

She starts her day with fruit and yoghurt or a Slimming World cooked breakfast, followed by a sandwich on wholemeal bread and a healthy homemade dinner. For snacks, she'll enjoy yoghurt, fruit or cereal bars, and drinks water or coffee with the occasional diet fizzy drink.

'I am a big eater and I like to eat big portions which is why Slimming World is perfect because you can fill yourself up,' she explains.

'Now I look back at pictures of myself and can't believe that was me. Everyone says it's amazing and they can't believe how well I have done but I can't really remember being that big any more - all I have now are photographs to remind me.'

'I feel a million times better, I am far healthier and happier, more confident and have more energy - I couldn't imagine being that person now.'