Leah deep fried her dinner every night… but after being shocked by her wedding photos she decided to ditch the fryer and lost 11st
Leah said she 'snapped' looking at the photos and vowed to overhaul her lifestyle
WHEN Leah Holburn saw her wedding photos she knew it was time to ditch the other big love of her life – her deep-fat fryer.
Instead of having fried food as an occasional treat, the 35-year-old ate it every single day.
Tucking into the fatty dinners saw her weight soar to 19st — more than a baby elephant. And when she walked down the aisle to marry Andy, 30, she was squeezed into a size 28 dress.
Seeing the unflattering wedding snaps shocked Leah into overhauling her lifestyle.
She chucked out her deep-fat fryer and started using the oven to cook healthy meals of lean meat with vegetables. In three years she shed 11st.
Now 8st and a size 8, Leah promises she will never go back to her greasy old ways.
She says: “When I saw my wedding album, something snapped inside me and I knew I couldn’t carry on living on junk.
“I threw out my fryer and swapped sausages and chips for healthy home-cooked meals.
“As I lost the weight, my confidence increased more and more. Now I’m a totally different person, with more energy than ever. I feel great.”
Full-time mum-of-six Leah had always loved fast food but really began piling on the pounds when pregnant.
She has Aidan, 19, Tia, 17, and 11-year-old twins Lewis and Joshua from a previous relationship, and Syke, eight, and Dylan, six, with hubby Andy.
She says: “I’d never learned to cook as a kid and would eat a lot of ready meals and takeaways before I got pregnant.
"Then when I became a busy mum I needed something that was quick and tasty for dinner.
“I got a deep-fat fryer and used that every night to cook sausages or chicken nuggets and chips, and I’d fry fish in it.
“I always struggled with my diet and always ate more when feeling down. The worse I felt about my expanding waistline, the more I ate in a bid to make myself feel better.
“I’d start the day with a pile of toast and peanut butter, snack on chocolate and crisps throughout the day, then in the evening just threw stuff in the deep-fat fryer.
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“I knew I was gaining weight. I would be out of breath just walking down the street, and clothes shopping was a nightmare. I used to dream about being thinner and I tried a shake diet once but it didn’t work.
“My confidence was low but Andy was always so accepting of how I looked, so I tried to push it to the back of my mind.”
When Leah got engaged to motor parts adviser Andy in 2009, she was delighted — but dreaded looking for a bridal gown.
She says: “I just couldn’t face going wedding dress shopping. The idea of walking into a shop and waiting for an assistant to find something in my size absolutely horrified me.
“I ended up ordering one online to save embarrassment. And on the day, instead of feeling proud to be the centre of attention, I hated it and felt so uncomfortable.
“The next day, when guests started uploading pictures on Facebook, I was mortified.
Diet before
BREAKFAST: Four crumpets with butter & peanut butter
LUNCH: Three slices of toast & a packet of crisps
DINNER: Deep-fried sausages & chips
SNACKS: Family-sized bar of chocolate, packet of Jammie Dodgers
“I turned to Andy in tears and asked him why he’d married me. I decided then and there that it was time to change. I knew I had to change how I cooked and what I was eating.
“I threw out my fryer, stopped lunchtime takeaways and started eating veg.”
Leah lost 4st 7lb in two years but she wasn’t finished on her journey. She says: “I was so proud of myself but needed a boost to keep my weight loss on track.
“So in October 2012 I signed up to Slimming World. It was great because I got tons of new meal ideas, a weekly weigh-in and tips on how to snack more healthily.
Diet After
BREAKFAST: Frozen berries & yoghurt
LUNCH: Vegetable couscous & a banana
DINNER: Potatoes, fish & vegetables
SNACKS: Yoghurt, fruit & HiFi bars
I kept losing weight and my confidence increased more and more.
“Clothes shopping became fun again because I was able to try on nice things in my size.”
By September 2013, Leah had lost 11st and was a size 8.
And three years on she has managed to keep the weight off.
She says: “My life has completely changed. I can now keep up with my children a lot more and I’m far more comfortable in my own skin.
“Andy’s thrilled that I’m happier but he still maintains he’s always loved me, regardless of my size.
“Although it was upsetting at the time, I’m glad my wedding pictures gave me the motivation I needed to lose the weight. One of the best things I ever did was chuck out my deep-fat fryer.
“The only thing I have left to do is give myself the wedding pictures I never had.
“I plan on finding my perfect white dress and having a professional retake of our wedding photographs so that I can finally have an album that I feel really proud of.”