Jacquie drops from size 22 to size 10 - and gets new fitness career

Jacquie (46), who lives with husband Jose Miguel, found her weight had gradually crept up over the years. At her heaviest, she was a 15 and a half stones.

She became practically immobile: “Everything was a chore. Climbing stairs was difficult, I struggled to fasten my shoelaces, and I would need to take a break when walking a few hundred yards,” she said. “My confidence hit rock bottom, my clothes didn’t fit and I stopped going out.”

After visiting her GP, Jacquie was referred to the Burnley Encouraging Exercise on Prescription Lite 4 Life programme, a 10-week course at St Peter’s Leisure Centre, part-funded by NHS East Lancashire.

She lost three pounds during the course. Determined to continue losing weight, Jacquie was referred to the Community Fit Club and started to see a change in her health.

She took part in light aerobics and swam three times a week, which built up her fitness. She began walking more, then jogging, until she was running six miles a day.

Jacquie also made diet changes: “The issue wasn’t so much with what I was eating, but the portion size. I could eat for 10 men!” she joked.

She now eats five small meals a day. She cuts back on bread and pasta and fish and chips, instead opting for mixed seeds, oily fish, fruit and vegetables and the occasional treat.

After following the healthy diet and exercise plan for a year, Jacquie has shed 35% of her body weight and is now a much healthier 10 stones, and a size 10.

Jacquie now volunteers at St Peter’s Leisure Centre, helping motivate others to lose weight. Her new found fitness is also leading to an exciting new career, as she is qualifying as a gym instructor, and in nutrition and weight management.

Having dropped six dress sizes the healthy way, Jacquie has strong words for famous quick-fix dieters: “I think it sets a bad example for people to think they can lose weight in such a short space of time. You can’t lose weight that quickly in a healthy way. You might look good on the outside, but you won’t feel good on the inside.”