TIPPING the scales at 27st, Diane Blackmore was beset by health issues, ranging from the painful to the life-threatening.
The 51-year-old struggled to walk more than 100ft and was devastated when she couldn’t cuddle her baby niece. But a terrifying realisation about her own funeral proved the wake-up call she needed to transform her life and lose weight .
Her diet consisted of two breakfasts totalling around 2,000 calories, a plate piled up with pasta for lunch, and six main takeaway dishes with sides and starters for dinner.
She and her husband, Peter, 55, would gorge on curry, rice, chips and poppadoms, indulging at the local all-you-can-eat buffet, scoffing three plates of starters, three mains and at least two rounds of dessert.
Charity worker Diane, from South Wales , easily ate over 5,000 calories a day and it was severely impacting her life.
She tells Sun Health: “I had so many medical conditions, including high blood pressure (on medication for 18 years), high cholesterol, borderline diabetes, plantar fasciitis, long term undiagnosed cough, skin conditions, anxiety and depression, long Covid and mobility issues.”
The great auntie could not do normal things, like put her baby niece on her lap, because her stomach was so overhanging .
She was so fat she had to phone someone to pick her up in the car after walking 100ft.
“At my heaviest there was very little I could do, I wasn’t moving very much at all,” she says.
“I could barely walk 50 metres – I was walking with a stick.
“I would sit in my car and wait for a car parking space to become available – even if it was for half an hour with the engine running.
“The bigger I got – I got even lazier. I would do online shopping, sit at my computer to work and do no physical activity at all.
“Really bad habits came into play and I had no movement whatsoever.”
Diane did not walk to the shops in her village for 21 years and had to put her feet in an ice bath every night and keep wet towels in the freezer to soothe them.
It got to the point that she couldn’t walk her dogs and the doctor suggested surgery or injections in her feet, which could not carry her weight.
Three years ago, Diane decided enough was enough and began her weight loss journey.
I couldn’t even walk more to the end of my road at the start of my journey without being out of breath
Diane Blackmore
The final straw was that she felt like she would die soon because of her health , and was filled with dread that her family would not be able to carry her coffin.
She had seen it happen at a funeral before and did not want to be remembered that way.
After slimming down, Diane, who now weighs 11st and wears size 12 clothes, says: “It has been totally life changing for me.
“I couldn’t even walk more to the end of my road at the start of my journey without being out of breath.
“I am now medical condition free, taking no medication whatsoever and to be honest, this is more important to me than the weight I have lost.”
Diane has been battling her weight since she was a teenager.
She says: “I would lose weight and put it on. Every time I slimmed down, I put on a bit more.
“I had the wrong idea about food – I had tried to get rid of carbs.”
Three years ago, Diane came across a healthy eating plan on Instagram .
“It taught me that everything was OK in moderation,” she says, adding that she lost weight by:
- Cutting out snacking completely
- Filling up on three meals a day
- Prioritising home cooked meals
- Eating very few processed foods
- Focusing on protein
After two years on the plan, having lost 8st, Diane’s weight loss plateaued, and she looked for a new challenge.
In the summer of 2023, Diane joined her local gym, Snap Fitness, where she found a supportive community that propelled her fitness journey to new heights.
With the guidance of personal trainers and participation in extensive group exercise classes, Diane lost a further 8st.
She has since become a powerlifter – she can leg press an astounding 445kg and perform lunges with 50kg dumbbells.
‘It’s saved my life’
“The trainers and other gym members have been incredible,” she says.
“I’ve made friends with teens through to people in their 70s because we all share a common goal and enjoy exercising.
“Their support has made all the difference and kept me going on this journey.”
Her achievements have not gone unnoticed with other gym members who are in awe of her progress.
The 5 best exercises to lose weight
By Lucy Gornall, personal trainer and health journalist
EXERCISE can be intimidating and hard to devote yourself to. So how do you find the right workout for you?
As a PT and fitness journalist, I’ve tried everything.
I’ve taken part in endless fitness competitions, marathons and I maintain a regime of runs, strength training and Pilates .
Fitness is so entrenched in my life, I stick to it even at Christmas !
The key is finding an activity you love that can become a habit.
My top five forms of exercise , especially if you’re trying to lose weight, are:
- Walking
- Running
- Pilates
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Strength training
Diane says: “Being an overweight middle-aged woman entering a gym is extremely daunting but I was greeted by lovely smiles; everyone was very reassuring, knowledgeable and helpful too.
“I knew I needed a PT to help me, and to be honest, I’d rather spend money on my fitness than buying a Chinese, Indian or pizza takeaway regularly like the old me.
“My trainer, Christian Cox, has pushed me to do things I would never have dreamed of.
“He has been absolutely amazing; he genuinely cares and I wouldn’t be doing this without people like him in my world.
“It’s like a gym family and it’s a beautiful community.
“People often ask me how I afford a PT, I answer back in many ways.
“‘How can I afford not to? It’s saved my life, it’s changed my life’.”
The best sources of protein
PROTEIN is found in everything from tuna to baked beans.
As a guide, the NHS says the following foods contain:
- Beef mince (140g) – 28g
- Battered cod (180g) – 25g
- Tinned tuna in oil (100g drained) – 25g
- Salmon (100g) – 23g
- Lamb chop (70g) – 20g
- Tofu (80g) – 19g
- Quorn (100g) – 13g
- Roasted peanuts (50g) – 13g
- Chicken breast (40g) – 11g
- Cheddar cheese (40g) – 10g
- Cow’s milk (half pint) – 10g
- Soya milk (half pint) – 9g
- Baked beans (150g) – 8g
- Yoghurt (125g) – 7g
- Egg (one) – 7g
- Peanut butter (25g) – 6g
- Green lentils (40g) – 4g
