When Leah was referred to as “the fat one” at work, she decided she needed a change and started a meal replacement diet with exante.
After leaving her job, she lost an impressive seven and a half stone thanks to the personalised meal plan.
The dieter explained: “I wore really baggy clothes and lived in hoodies and leggings, ranging from a size 22-26. I was never really sure of my exact size, as long as something hid the shape of my body I would wear it.
“I wanted to lose the weight because I put so much on during lockdown, I longed to be able to wear whatever I wanted in the summer and not live in baggy shirts and leggings. I was constantly hot, even in the winter I would have a fan on me,” she said.
Leah admitted that she was mortified after hearing the derogatory comments at work: “I was referred to as ‘the fat one’ by a supervisor when I started a new job and left immediately.
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“That was on my mind for months because I suffer with anxiety and I really pushed myself to get that job.”
Because of this, her anxiety got worse and she particularly struggled when going shopping.
Leah explained: “I felt really bad about myself when I went clothes shopping, sometimes I’d come out of the changing rooms crying with clothes I wished would fit me or look nice on me, and that’s what really changed my mindset – I knew only I could do something about that.”
She started the meal replacement diet with a strict calorie deficit in the first 10 weeks, only consuming 800 calories a day.
She had exante’s nutritionally-complete shakes and bars for breakfast and lunch, and made a healthy meal in the evenings.
After losing three stone, Leah upped her calorie intake slightly to 1,000, and then after losing five stone she switched to 1,200 calories a day.
For lunch, she now likes to have a salad with a boiled egg and either ham or chicken sausages, or a calorie-counted meal from a supermarket. For snacks, she enjoys exante’s salted caramel bars, shakes and porridge pots.
The slimmer, who now wears a size eight, explained: “My diet before was really bad because I didn’t have any portion control. I’d have carbs with every meal, but now I have veg instead.”
After the weight loss transformation, “I feel so much more confident about clothes shopping now, there’s no more crying and I can pick up a size small shirt knowing it’s going to fit me”.
“I’ve sold all my old clothes and bought a whole new wardrobe. I’m so excited for summer this year, it’s like a whole new world losing seven-and-a-half stone. I can wear things I wouldn’t have dared to wear when I first started my journey.”
She continued: “I thank myself all the time for taking pictures of myself when I started my weight loss journey, because sometimes we can be too harsh on ourselves and look in the mirror thinking we look no different, even if the people around you say you’ve lost weight.
“If I didn’t have my photos to look back on when I was doubting my losses, I know I would have definitely given up because I was in a negative mindset about myself for so long. I’ve had so much support from my family and my partner, which is really important when you’re on such a big journey where lots of willpower is needed.”
Anyone embarking on a low-calorie diet plan should seek medical advice from their GP or a healthcare professional first.