A woman who was so addicted to Dairy Milk bars that she ate seven a day for eight years said she finally feels like a ‘yummy mummy’ after ditching the habit – and losing eight stone.
Laura Sayers, a 5ft5in mother-of-two from Poole, Dorset, was a size 22, weighing 18 stone 5lb at her heaviest.
The chocoholic, 33, said that at the time she never went more than five hours without munching on a 240 calorie bar of Dairy Milk – even taking them into the bath with her, and estimates her habit cost her £5,376 over the years.
But when her beloved aunt Julie Fernee passed away in January 2017 due to unexplained health problems, Laura vowed to lose weight in fear of leaving her own daughters Caitlin, 11, and Kimberley, eight, without a mother.
And less than seven months later Laura had shed seven stone, and after losing a further stone, was a size 8 by the time she took Caitlin to secondary school in September of this year.
Laura Sayers, a mother-of-two from Dorset, was a size 22, weighing 18 stone 5lb at her heaviest after gorging on chocolate, but now she weighs 10 stone 3lb after losing eight stone 2lb, and is a size 8 (seen before her weight loss)
Now weighing 10 stone 3lb after losing a total of eight stone 2lb – more than her daughter Caitlin weighs – Laura, whose husband, Duncan Sayers, 37, who is a furniture upholsterer for yachts and boats, beamed: ‘I wanted to be a yummy mummy at the school gates, not overweight.
‘I look at the size Caitlin is now and I can’t believe how much weight I’ve lost.
‘I used to eat in secret, in my bedroom or in the bathroom, where no one could see or judge me. It was like being an alcoholic or a drug-addict, but my substance of choice was with chocolate.’
Her pregnancy with Caitlin triggered Laura’s full blown addiction to sugar, consuming 1,680 calories – nearly the entire NHS recommended 2,000 calorie daily allowance for women – in Dairy Milk bars alone every day.
And less than seven months later Laura had shed seven stone, and after losing a further stone, was a size 8 by the time she took Caitlin to high school in September of this year (seen now)
Laura revealed that she had been a slim teenager, but began comfort eating after suffering three miscarriages when she met husband Duncan (pictured) in 2005
Having her first bar at breakfast, a few hours later, she would chomp down another with a cup of tea, before having a sandwich, crisps and another Dairy Milk for lunch and two more in the afternoon, home alone in the house.
And her final fix would be enjoyed during a long, hot soak in the bath in the evening, after a takeaway or ready meal for dinner.
‘It was a proper addiction,’ she admitted. ‘I’d feel panicked if I didn’t have at least one bar in my bag at all times.
‘I couldn’t go more than five hours without eating one and if I needed more chocolate I would go to different shops, or vary my check-out assistants to buy them, as I didn’t want to deal with the shame of be seen getting more.’
Laura vowed to lose weight in fear of leaving her own daughters Caitlin, 11, (right) and Kimberley, eight, (left) without a mother
Her pregnancy with Caitlin triggered Laura’s full blown addiction to sugar, consuming 1,680 calories – nearly the entire NHS recommended 2,000 calorie daily allowance for women – in Dairy Milk bars alone every day (seen at her heaviest with husband Duncan)
And while her waistline grew, her bank balance shrank, with her spending £2 a day on multi-packs of the confectionery equalling a staggering £5,376 over eight years.
‘I’d hide the wrappers in different bins and do all I could to conceal what I was doing to myself,’ she said.
‘I didn’t notice at the time how much I was splashing out, but now, adding it up, I can’t help but think of all the things I could have bought with that money.
‘But in my head, I needed that snack to get me through the day, it was my fix.’
Having her first bar at breakfast, a few hours later, she would chomp down another with a cup of tea, before having a sandwich, crisps and another Dairy Milk for lunch and two more in the afternoon, home alone in the house
While Laura’s waistline grew, her bank balance shrank, with her spending £2 a day on multi-packs of the confectionery equalling a staggering £5,376 over eight years
Throughout this time, Laura tried different diets to try to slim down her size 22 body, but nothing worked, and she kept returning to her trusty friend, the Dairy Milk bar.
Laura revealed that she had been a slim teenager, but began comfort eating after suffering three miscarriages.
She recalled: ‘I was the envy of all my friends, as I could eat anything without gaining a single pound.’
But after meeting husband Duncan, after going out with his brother, in 2005, she went on to have three miscarriages.
Tragically, it took her Aunt Julie’s death to bring her to her senses, when, by then squeezing into a size 22, she struggled to find an outfit for the funeral and was worried she would leave her children motherless
Now Laura feels confident enough to meet daughters Laura and daughters Kimberley, left, and Caitlin, right, at the school gates
‘I fell into a massive depression and turned to sugar,’ she admitted.
‘I’d eat if I was feeling happy, I’d eat if I was feeling sad. It was all the classics, like Ben and Jerry’s ice cream or my beloved Dairy Milk bars – anything I could get my hands on and my weight piled on.’
And it was during her pregnancy with Caitlin that her chocolate addiction really spiralled out of control.
‘I experienced a lot of sickness with Caitlin, so it really helped me at the start to deal with that, but then I became addicted,’ she admitted.
‘During my pregnancy and for the eight years afterwards, I wouldn’t really eat meals, I’d just snack constantly.’
Now weighing 10 stone 3lb after losing eight stone 2lb, she feels like a yummy mummy and loves being seen at the school gates
Devastated at the thought of leaving her daughters motherless and determined to finally win her battle of the bulge, she joined weight loss company Cambridge Weight Plan
Tragically, it took her Aunt Julie’s death to bring her to her senses, when, by then squeezing into a size 22, she struggled to find an outfit for the funeral.
Sat in the service, Laura started to have visions of her own death in six years’ time, because of her excessive weight.
Devastated at the thought of leaving her daughters motherless and determined to finally win her battle of the bulge, she joined weight loss company Cambridge Weight Plan two weeks later.
Enjoying her final binge on a family size Dairy Milk bar, before switching to the diet plan’s smoothies, soups, shakes and snacks, Laura has never looked back.
Enjoying her final binge on a family size Dairy Milk bar, before switching to the diet plan’s smoothies, soups, shakes and snacks, Laura has never looked back
She lost an incredible seven stone in the first seven months, and was a svelte size eight by the time she proudly took Caitlin to her first day at high school in September this year
She lost an incredible seven stone in the first seven months, and was a svelte size eight by the time she proudly took Caitlin to her first day at high school in September this year.
She said: ‘I feel absolutely amazing and cannot believe I have lost more than my daughter weighs.
‘I look in the mirror and sometimes don’t even recognise myself.
‘The girls think their mummy looks great, too, and Duncan has even lost a little bit of weight by supporting me on the Cambridge Weight Plan. ‘
Now a consultant for the programme, Laura, formerly a stay-at-home-mum, feels fantastic at the school gates.
She added: ‘Caitlin had been picked on for my size before, so I decided I didn’t want her getting to high school and to be bullied for having a fat mum.
‘In my size eight skinny jeans, luckily, there’s no chance of that now.’
Now a consultant for the programme, Laura, formerly a stay-at-home-mum, feels fantastic at the school gates