A 22st school dessert chef was so embarrassed by her size 22 mourning outfit at her father’s funeral that she shed an impressive eight stone.
Kat Milner, 35, who says she was ‘like a little pudding’ even at school, was given a wake-up call when she could not find a suitable dress to fit to say goodbye to her father Andrew, when he passed away in December 2020, aged 71.
Hating what she saw in the mirror, Kat, who lives near Lowestoft, Suffolk, with her husband Ben, 34, and their daughters, Gabrielle, 14, Cagney, six and Margaux, two, said: ‘I was 22 stone and had struggled to find a black dress for my dad’s funeral.
‘He had passed away suddenly. His funeral was the first time I had seen some of my family for a while and I just felt embarrassed by my size.’
But, while she was determined to address her weight, Kat, who would demolish a family-sized bar of Dairy Milk for breakfast, says changing the habits of a lifetime was no picnic.
She started the 1:1 Diet, by Cambridge Weight Plan, which substitutes large portion meals with shakes and healthy alternatives, and has since gone down to 14st and a size 14-16.
Kat Milner, 35, who lives near Lowestoft, Suffolk, was so embarrassed by her size 22 mourning outfit at her father’s funeral that she shed 8st
The mother (pictured after her weight loss) has replaced her black clothes with bright colours and dyed her blonde hair orange to celebrate
She says she was ‘like a little pudding’ even at school, was given a wake-up call when she could not find a suitable dress to fit to say goodbye to her dad Andrew, (pictured) when he passed away in December 2020, aged 71
She said: ‘My dad was a chef and I was big throughout my childhood.’
Her weight was not helped by her recent pregnancy, after giving birth to Margaux on March 22 – Mother’s Day – in 2020.
She said: ‘I don’t know how much weight I’d put on during the pregnancy because I was already so big. Probably a stone, so when I went back to work, I was struggling to manage everything.
‘Even walking up the stairs or taking my baby out in the buggy left me feeling breathless and balancing healthy eating with motherhood and work just felt impossible.’
But, realising she needed to reduce her waistline for the sake of her health and her family, she returned to a diet she had tried once before – the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan – where all your meals are supplied.
She said: ‘I’d tried everything over the years including the cabbage soup diet and the Special K diet, but when you are just eating the same mundane food every day, it’s just too hard to stick to for more than a few days.
Restricting her calorie intake to just 800 a day – far less than the 2,000 recommended for women to maintain their weight – she lost most of her excess in the first six months. Kat, pictured before her weight loss, left, and after, right
Eating nutritionally based products supplied by Cambridge, but taking on no exercise because of the calorie deficit, she soon started seeing positive results
Kat, pictured left, said: ‘There’s no black left in my wardrobe now. My favourite colour is orange, so I chopped off my long, blonde hair when I’d lost 4st and dyed it orange, too’
‘But I had done what was known then as The Cambridge Plan and I’d lost weight, so I knew I could do it again.’
She started out at 22st in March 2021, at 5ft 8in, eating nutritionally based products supplied by Cambridge, but taking on no exercise because of the calorie deficit, she soon started seeing positive results.
Restricting her calorie intake to just 800 a day – far less than the 2,000 recommended for women to maintain their weight – she lost most of her excess in the first six months.
And, delighted, she threw out her wardrobe staples of black baggy T-shirts and stretchy leggings and marched into New Look to buy a pair of jeans.
Now a far healthier 14st size 14-16, with a BMI of 29.7, she said: ‘I am still on the plan and limiting my calorie intake now to under 2,000 a day.
Kat (pictured recently) threw out her wardrobe staples of black baggy T-shirts and stretchy leggings and marched into New Look to buy a pair of jeans
Now a far healthier 14st size 14-16, Kat (pictured left, before her weight loss, and right, after) said: ‘I am still on the plan and limiting my calorie intake now to under 2,000 a day’
Kat lives with her husband Ben, 34, and their daughters, Gabrielle, 14, Cagney, six and Margaux, two
‘There’s no black left in my wardrobe now. My favourite colour is orange, so I chopped off my long, blonde hair when I’d lost 4st and dyed it orange, too.
‘But the biggest change, thanks to my weight loss, has not been to my appearance, it’s been to my mental health.
‘I just feel so happy now. I feel a million times better about myself and just want to say “yes” to every opportunity life throws at me!
‘I love being able to get outside, walk our English bulldog, go out with friends and also embrace being in my own company.
After realising she needed to reduce her waistline for the sake of her health and her family, she returned to a diet she had tried once before – the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan – where all your meals are supplied (pictured with husband Ben)
Determined not just to keep her own weight under control, but also to help other people who are struggling, Kat (pictured recently) has trained as a 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan Consultant, too
‘I’ve gained everything by losing the weight and I realise now that I don’t have to fall back on food when I need to escape. Instead, I’ll treat myself to a pamper, because I know I’m worth it!’
Determined not just to keep her own weight under control, but also to help other people who are struggling, Kat has trained as a 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan Consultant, too.
She said: ‘I have my very own slimmers now and I love to see how, once they start to lose the weight, they get themselves back.
‘The most important thing I tell them is that losing weight starts with one step and to focus on that step instead of thinking about the whole staircase.’
Her weight was not helped by her recent pregnancy, after giving birth to Margaux (pictured together) on March 22 – Mother’s Day – in 2020
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