A single mother who became so overweight she couldn’t fit down a slide with her toddler shed a whopping nine stones after getting stuck on a slide with her toddler.
Joanne Henry spent years scoffing McDonald’s breakfasts every morning before work, munching on chocolate and sweets during the day, and then feasting on takeaways and convenience food for dinner.
But after turning her lifestyle around, the 28-year-old transformed her size 22 body into a slinky size eight through a simple calorie-controlled diet, while still enjoying the odd unhealthy snack.
Single mother Joanne Henry, 28, who became so overweight (left) she couldn’t fit down a slide with her toddler shed a whopping nine stone (right) after getting stuck on a slide with her toddler
Joanne, an optical assistant from Toxteth, Liverpool, decided to make changes after feeling too tired to keep up with her two-year-old son Marley, with play sessions often leaving her out of breath.
On a few occasions she found herself unable to take her son down a slide, as she knew she wouldn’t fit. Meaning she was stuck at the top and had to make an embarrassing climb back down.
Haunted by the memory of her mum dying after a heart attack at a young age, Joanne says she was petrified the same thing would happen to her.
Joanne Henry spent years scoffing McDonald’s breakfasts every morning before work, munching on chocolate and sweets during the day, and then feasting on takeaways and convenience food for dinner
She said: ‘[The weight loss] was for my little boy. I thought if something happened to me then what will happen to him and I knew then that something had to be done.
‘Day to day things like going to the park with the baby would leave me knackered and out of breath.’
Despite trying several popular diets over the years, Joanne’s weight was a constant battle – and although she says she found it ‘easy’ to lose weight, she would always pile it back on quickly.
But for her, it was never about her appearance – it was always about her health.
She added: ‘I’ve always been bigger. It’s always been a battle and I always knew I was big, I got to an age where I couldn’t care less about my looks, I just wanted to go to the park and do every day things without being breathless.
‘I tried every diet under the sun, the slimming clubs, the shakes, but I would always put it back on. I find losing weight really easy but keeping it off is hard, I’d always slip back.’
But after turning her lifestyle around, the 28-year-old transformed her size 22 body into a slinky size eight through a simple calorie-controlled diet, while still enjoying the odd unhealthy snack
Before her incredible transformation, Joanne admits she’d eat ‘anything and everything’ – and estimates her daily intake at a whopping 8,000 calories, more than four times the recommended intake for a woman.
She said: ‘I would literally eat whatever I wanted. I could come home and eat a whole box of chocolates and still go “right what am I having for tea?” afterwards and eat my whole tea. I wasn’t even hungry.
‘I’d have a McDonald’s breakfast on my way to work, I’d have chocolate and sweets and cake in the day, and then I’d probably go home and have a take away or something like that.’
Looking at her transformed image, you may be forgiven for thinking Joanne now survives on salads and super foods alone – but the mum-of-one still treats herself with cakes, chocolate and fizzy drinks on her ‘cheat days’.
Before her incredible transformation, Joanne admits she’d eat ‘anything and everything’ – and estimates her daily intake at a whopping 8,000 calories, more than four times the recommended intake for a woman
She said: ‘Now it’s all about counting calories, but it doesn’t mean I can’t eat what I want. I just count the calories and if, for example, I
want to eat a chocolate bar, then I just make the allowance for it with my daily calorie intake.
‘People will see me eating a Galaxy and say ‘oh no are you off your diet?’ but I’ve actually accounted for it and will just take those calories out of another meal.
‘Mondays are my cheat days and if I want a slice of cake or a burger – or a slice of cake AND a burger – then I do. I just make sure the rest of the week I stick to my calorie intake.’
Looking at her transformed image, you may be forgiven for thinking Joanne now survives on salads and super foods alone – but the mum-of-one still treats herself with cakes, chocolate and fizzy drinks on her ‘cheat days’
Joanne has spent the last year limiting her calories and has seen incredible results – dropping seven dress sizes and seeing an improvement in her health.
She said: ‘I just find I don’t get as tired any more, I’ve got more energy and my asthma isn’t as bad as it used to be, I haven’t used my inhaler in months.’
But it’s not just Joanne’s health that’s been transformed – she’s also had to buy herself a whole new wardrobe, swapping frumpy frocks for bold prints and skinny jeans.
She added: ‘I have clothes in every single size from a size 22 to a size eight. I can’t stop buying new clothes I’m skint.
‘I’ve never ever been able to get into skinny jeans and now I wear skinny jeans and more fitted things. I never did it for my appearance but it’s nice to be able to buy different types of clothes.’