Mum strips off for sexy photo shoot to celebrate shedding nearly half her body weight… after ballooning to 20st from gorging on a takeaway EVERY day
Rachel Ford describes herself as a takeaway 'addict', who once ate a large pizza, curry or a Chinese for dinner every night
A MUM-OF-FOUR who ballooned to 20st after gorging on a takeaway EVERY evening has stripped off to celebrate shedding nearly half her body weight.
Junk food "addict" Rachel Ford was spurred into action after she saw these unflattering photos of her size 24 frame in a swimming costume - and has now lost nine-and-a-half stone.
The 44-year-old, from Coventry, lost a huge 9st in her first year of dieting - after vowing to ditch the junk food in January 2014.
Now the dental assistant, who is 5ft 8ins tall, has flaunted her slim figure in an underwear shoot, saying: “I never felt so amazing and confident.
“The photoshoot was a reward for all my hard work. I use the saucy snaps as motivation to keep on track with my diet and exercise.”
Rachel has been overweight since she was 16 - when she began snacking on a chocolate bar, cake and bag of crisps every day - as well as finishing off packets of biscuits in one go.
She said: “I have a sweet tooth and would also scoff a whole packet of biscuits in one go, I could never have just one.”
After meeting her partner Jim, 48, a manufacturing technician, when she was 21, Rachel’s weight really started balloon.
A year later, in 1995, she weighed 13st and was a size 16.
Rachel said: “We would scoff a curry or a Chinese takeaway every night, and have cake afterwards.”
After giving birth to her first son, George, now 13, in 2005, Rachel ripped the scales at 20st - and she weighed 19st 13lbs after having her second son, William, two years later.
She said: “I knew something drastic needed to be done. I banned takeaways and threw out all the junk food so I wasn’t tempted to gorge.
“Jim was very supportive and joined me in eating healthily.”
Rachel's diet before
- BREAKFAST: Sugary cereal with full fat milk and added sugar
- LUNCH: Bacon sandwich, sausage roll, crisps and a chocolate bar
- DINNER: Takeaway - curry, Chinese or a large pizza
- SNACKS: Cake or a whole packet of biscuits
Rachel lost 9st in just 18 months, and was a healthy size 12 - who celebrated by buying a whole new wardrobe.
She kept the weight off during her third pregnancy with her daughter Elizabeth, now seven, but she caved to the cravings when expecting four-year-old Bertie.
Rachel said: “I had been eating healthily for almost two years. I was craving a takeaway, so I gave in to my temptation and bought a curry.
“Suddenly my addiction began all over again. Before I knew it, I was eating takeaways every night and having two portions of food for dinner throughout my entire pregnancy.
“I convinced myself that it was fine and that I was eating for two.”
Rachel's diet now
- BREAKFAST: Shredded wheat cereal with semi-skimmed milk and sweetener
- LUNCH: Salad, sandwich and baked crisps
- DINNER: Spaghetti bolognese or salmon with broccoli
- SNACKS: An orange and a banana
By September 2013, when Bertie was born, Rachel had gained 9st and was back to a size 24.
She said: “I was really disappointed in myself and felt that all my hard work had been for nothing.
“I needed to face the horrible reality and accept how much weight I’d put on, so I asked Jim to take pictures of me wearing my swimming costume.
“When I saw the snaps of me at my heaviest I hated them. Looking at the pictures made me feel guilty and miserable.”
Rachel lost the pounds by ditching the junk food for salmon and broccoli, or a spaghetti bolognese, and by walking three miles every day.
She said: “Running around after four children kept me active too.” Rachel is now a healthy size 12, and weighs 11st.
She said: “It felt amazing getting back to my target weight.
“I can run after the kids without getting out of breath, and fit into clothes that I hadn’t been able to wear for over a year.”
Rachel did her sexy photoshoot with Birmingham's Dollhouse Photography in November 2016.
We recently reported on a size XXXL woman who shed 10st after almost DROWNING because she was too fat to be rescued.
And this Welsh insurance salesman who lost 7st to become a model has revealed the drive behind his amazing transformation.