WEIGH TO GO
Mum loses 6st after ditching frozen foods cooked in the air-fryer – and her favourite meal
Tara is now stunned by the difference in her appearance when she compares herself with old photographs
A MUM who would eat Pot Noodles every single day looks unrecognisable after ditching the instant snack.
Tara Jennings was nicknamed the 'Pot Noodle queen' by friends because she was seen scoffing the snack so often.
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She ate more than 1,000 Pot Noodles in three years but after tipping the scales at 18st, she ditched the junk food for homemade healthy meals.
The 26-year old had fewer than 20 instant snacks since starting her health kick in April last year.
She now weighs a healthy 11.9st and has dropped six dress sizes, from a size 24 to a size 12.
Tara would also regularly eat frozen food that was cooked in her air-fryer because it was "a lot cheaper" and more "convenient".
Read more on weight loss
Mum-of-one Tara, who works in a Texaco garage, said: "I would bulk buy Pot Noodles and eat one daily, if not two a day.
"I would have it for dinner every day and then maybe tea."
She added: "My son was young at the time so I would buy things that were convenient and it was cheaper as well.
"I would go to Iceland and all the frozen chicken would be three for £10 and fresh chicken from Aldi is about £4 for two breasts so it was a lot cheaper."
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After ditching the convenience foods, Tara bought the Pinch of Nom cookbooks which are filled of healthy and slimming-friendly recipes.
She then started cooking a range of different low-calorie recipes including fakeaway Peri Peri chicken wraps and hunters chicken pasta bake.
GP-approved tips to really lose weight safely - and keep it off
This helped her lose weight because all the meals tasted like she had "cheated on her diet", when they were actually healthy.
Tara, of Blackpool, Lancashire, said: "The first book I got was the comfort book, so it's all comfort food recipes.
"You can eat a lot of it and feel like you shouldn't have but in reality, it wasn't that many calories or that much fat or sugar.
"You can eat as much as you feel like you need to and still be in a calorie deficit.
"I quickly found a couple of go-to recipes including margherita chicken which tastes like pizza - it tastes like you've cheated on your diet.
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Tara's diet: before and after
Before
Breakfast: Nothing
Lunch: A Pot Noodle
Tea: A Pot Noodle
Snacks: Walkers Salt and Vinegar crisps or chocolate bars
After
Breakfast: A cup of tea and a weighed out portion of Cheerios
Lunch: Homemade soup
Tea: Fakeaway Peri Peri chicken wraps or hunters chicken pasta bake
Snacks: The Skinny Food Co's low sugar donuts or mini chocolate bars
"They all taste like you shouldn't be eating them - it's like it's got to be wrong but it's genuinely insane.
"There's also a salt and pepper chicken recipe and it tastes like you've bought a Chinese takeaway."
Tara says she is now stunned by the difference in her appearance when she compares herself with old photographs.
She added: "Photos will come up on Snapchat or Facebook memories and I'm like 'oh my gosh'.
"I see the difference between then and now but I still think I look big until I properly look at two pictures side by side.
"My family tend to notice quite a lot and said it was fairly impressive - my nan is always congratulating me. They notice it a lot more than I do."
Tara says she used to have the "palette of a child".
But her diet is now much more varied and she says she enjoys making different recipes.
Tara said: "I never used to eat vegetables or fruit - I'm a texture person so if I don't like the texture of something then I won't eat it.
"Things like tomatoes are normally 'no thank you' but when I make recipes from the book, I use tomatoes or passata.
"I eat peppers and onions now in recipes - it sounds stupid but I would never eat them before.
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"I also eat pasta now - it sounds silly but I didn't have pasta bake until I was 21 and even then, I didn't eat it very much.
"But it's now one of my favourites. I eat a lot more than what I used to, I used to have the palette of a child."
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How to lose weight safely
Losing weight should be a long-term commitment to healthier living, rather than any drastic measures.
The NHS tips - which can be adopted slowly - include:
- Get active for 150 minutes a week – you can break this up into shorter sessions
- Aim to get your 5 A Day – 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables count as 1 portion
- Aim to lose 1 to 2lbs, or 0.5 to 1kg, a week
- Read food labels – products with more green colour coding than amber and red are often a healthier option
- Swap sugary drinks for water – if you do not like the taste, add slices of lemon or lime for flavour
- Cut down on food that's high in sugar and fat – start by swapping sugary cereal for wholegrain alternatives
- Share your weight loss plan with someone you trust – they can help motivate you when you have a bad day
Read about:
- The five fat loss foundations
- The calorie formula for weight loss
- The perfect portion sizes for meals to lose weight
- Sun Health's 8-week weight loss kick start plan
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