Thetford woman shows her seven stone transformation after ditching midnight snacks

A Thetford mother who used to go downstairs for midnight snacks has lost seven stone after ditching her bedtime habit.

Teresa Belton, 33, tipped the scales at 20st 1lb at her heaviest and was struggling to squeeze into a size 22.

She said she would gorge on junk food every evening after putting her daughter, Marlee, 14, to sleep.

Then still not satisfied, she would wake in the middle of the night for snacks such as whole chocolate cakes, oven chips and pizza.

But now the mum has ditched her binge-eating, opting for home-made 'fakeaways' and walks every day for 45 minutes - and she is even managing to sleep through the night without being tempted for a treat.

Teresa, who works as a cleaner, said: "I just ate and ate and kept snacking even after a full day of food.

"I didn't really realise how big I had got because I avoided full-length mirrors and having my photo taken so that photo shocked me."

Teresa had found herself in a cycle of ordering takeaways five times a week and snacking unhealthy foods for ease.

"I just had a bin full of empty takeaway packets," she said.

"I'd order pizzas, burgers - you name it.

"But I was in denial about how big I was getting.

"I knew clothes were becoming tight, but I just didn't want to believe it."

After seeing a photo of herself at a Christmas get together, she started researching ways she could shift the weight and make a difference to her lifestyle.

Teresa said: "I was so disgusted by myself.

"I went on Instagram and saw loads of people doing calorie counting so I thought I'd give it a shot.

"It was amazing how quickly I saw results.

"It was hard, but I felt so motivated to get healthy and shed the pounds."

Teresa switched her regular five-nights a week of takeaways for home-made versions and stuck to 1,800 calories a day to start off with.

With her new motivation. Teresa has now slimmed down to an impressive 13st 1lb and a slender size 12 and says she has never been happier.

"I used to huff and puff just doing a short walk but slowly I built up my walks a week to every day," she said.

"I found ​recipes that felt like I wasn't missing out on yummy food, but they were still healthy.

"I let myself have a cheat day and am stricter on other days, so it balances out."

Teresa has shed the pounds to reach 13st 1lbs and is on track for her 11st and a half goal.

"I'm so proud of myself for sticking to healthy food and I feel fabulous.

"My daughter is happy for me too, but she misses her 'fat mum' because the cuddles are not as good now."

An example of Teresa's diet before the weight loss:

Breakfast: Sausage and egg baguette, hash browns, packet of crisps

Lunch: Big Mac and large fries or frozen pizza and oven chips

Dinner: Takeaway chicken fillet burger, chips and cheese, burger sauce, mozzarella sticks

Snacks: Chocolate, sausage rolls, Walkers crisps, chocolate cake

A sample of Teresa's diet now:

Breakfast: Greek yoghurt and fruit

Lunch: Home-made naan bread, home-made kebab meat, lettuce

Dinner: Chicken tikka salad

Snacks: Squares