Mum loses nearly 8 stone in weight using Cambridge diet and says she’s ‘hotter now she’s in her 40s’

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A woman who has lost nearly eight stone said she’s in ‘the best shape ever’ after sticking to a strict diet plan

A woman who lost seven-and-a-half stone says she’s ‘hotter now she’s in her 40s than she ever was in her 20s’ - and is in the "best shape ever". Jeanette Painting, 44, felt "stuck in a rut" after struggling to lose her baby weight after the birth of her two children, Taion, 12, and Tarlia, nine.

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Tipping the scales at 19stone 13lbs and struggling to squeeze into a size 24, Jeanette "gave up on herself" - donning tracksuits to try and conceal her figure. The last straw came when Jeanette was on holiday with her two children and didn’t want to go out - feeling self-conscious about her size.

In June 2021, she decided "enough was enough" and signed up for the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan - which entails smoothies and shakes. After ditching oven-ready meals, takeaways and biscuits and sweets for healthy salads and high-protein meals, the mum-of-two lost a seven-and-a-half stone in just eight months.

Now a slinky size 12, she weighs a healthier 12st 6lbs and loves showing off her new slender frame in figure-hugging dresses. Jeanette says she even feels better than she did in her 20s and is in the "best shape ever".

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Jeanette, a full-time mum, from Gloucester, Gloucestershire, said: "I can now enjoy time with my children and be a mum with them.

"I definitely go on more days out with my children, I will take them on days away whereas before I wouldn’t. I have learned to live with myself. I am in the best shape now than I can remember, even in my 20s - I am in the best shape I have ever been.

"I look better now than when I did in my 20s, I used to hate getting my photos taken but now I am always getting in them.”

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A woman who lost seven-and-a-half stone says she’s hotter now she’s in her 40s than she ever was in her 20sA woman who lost seven-and-a-half stone says she’s hotter now she’s in her 40s than she ever was in her 20s
A woman who lost seven-and-a-half stone says she’s hotter now she’s in her 40s than she ever was in her 20s | Jeanette Painting / SWNS

Jeanette was on holiday with her children in Devon in June 2021 when she realised she needed to do something about her weight. She hated the way she looked and it left her wanting to stay in and not go out and enjoy the break with her children.

Jeanette said: "I had back issues from gaining weight. That holiday I really struggled.

"Along with my anxiety and depression, the weight made me feel worse. I hated looking in the mirror. I knew that when I got back I would be going on a diet.”

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When Jeanette returned from her holiday, she started the Cambridge Weight Plan after being inspired by seeing other people posting their results online.

"It was my opportunity to change my life and I was determined to succeed," she added.

After starting to lose weight, Jeanette said she "instantly felt better" and her back pain improved rapidly. Jeanette went from a size 24 to a size 12 in eight months by cutting out sugar, carbs and fat and getting a personal trainer - who she still regularly visits.

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A woman who lost seven-and-a-half stone says she’s hotter now she’s in her 40s than she ever was in her 20sA woman who lost seven-and-a-half stone says she’s hotter now she’s in her 40s than she ever was in her 20s
A woman who lost seven-and-a-half stone says she’s hotter now she’s in her 40s than she ever was in her 20s | Jeanette Painting / SWNS

She said: "Being on plan gave me something to focus on every day. The ease of the diet was exactly what I needed.”

Jeanette has shared her diet to show the drastic changes in what she ate to lost the weight.

Diet before

Breakfast - Cookie with a coffee

Lunch - Meal deal consisting of sandwich, crisps and fizzy drinks

Dinner - Burger, oven chips and beans

Snacks - Pack of biscuits, crisps and dips

Drinks - Fizzy pop and coffee

Diet after

Breakfast - Porridge

Lunch - Turkey with tinned tomatoes and scrambled egg

Dinner - Chicken and salad or vegetables

Snacks - Protein bar

Drinks - Water, flavoured sugar-free drinks only

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Jeanette says losing weight has not only just impacted her life but changed her children’s lives in the process.

"I had a newfound energy which I use to take my kids on days out and to play with them. I have so much motivation to continue improving my health, something I never would have done before losing weight," she said.

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