Size 20 takeaway addict loses 7st and drops 8 dress sizes – by eating brunch
Mum Ayesha Murray-Higgins suffered pre-eclampsia and postnatal depression as a result of her extreme pregnancy weight gain
A CHINESE takeaway-addicted mum has managed to shed eight dress sizes in a year since by ditching the egg fired rice.
At her heaviest, Ayesha Murray-Higgins weighed 15st 9lbs and spent £1,560 a year on her three-times-a-week habit.
The 23-year-old from Northwich, Cheshire, ballooned from a size 12 to a 20 during her pregnancy with daughter Olivia.
But after nearly losing her baby to weight-induced pre-eclampsia, the social media analyst became determined to fight the flab.
She's now a size 6-8 and weighs just 8st 12lbs.
Ayesha said: "During the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, I actually lost quite a bit of weight as I was suffering from really bad morning sickness.
“From then on, I just let myself go with food because I was in the mindset I was going to gain weight anyway.
“I used to eat anything - I’d eat my favourite Chinese takeaways all the time and as soon as I heard a colleague rustling a crisp packet while I was at work, I'd jump up to get a snack.
“Everybody in work always said to me ‘you’re always eating'."
After Olivia was born, Ayesha suffered from low self-esteem and says that she couldn't even look in the mirror - let alone any photos of herself be taken.
As well as the preeclampsia which led to having to have an emergency C-section, Ayesha's weight also let her suffering from postnatal depression.
As a new mum, she found it hard to drop the pounds after her daughter's birth.
She siad: "After Olivia was born, we didn’t see one another for two days because we were both in intensive care.
“The doctor said my weight may have caused pre-eclampsia because you’re more at risk when you’re overweight."
Ayesha decided enough was enough a year after Olivia was born and joined Slimming World with a work college, using a calorie tracker to record whatever she ate.
She also tried intermittent fasting - delaying breakfast and eating brunch instead, so that her body could burn fat for 16 hours at a time.
After 12 months of eating healthily and exercising regularly, Ayesha had shed more than seven stone and could fit in clothes smaller than she had worn pre-pregnancy.
She said: “Before, I was too embarrassed to think about taking Olivia to the park or ball pit.
AYESHA’S DAILY DIET: BEFORE
Breakfast: Subway breakfast, two Scotch eggs
Morning snacks: Crisps, chocolate bars and biscuits
Lunch: Subway meal deal
Afternoon snacks: Large bag of crisps and biscuits
Dinner: Large portion of Chinese takeaway, Indian or pizza
Dessert: Cake
Drink: Milkshake
“But I wanted to be a mum who could play with their child at the park or in the ball pool."
Her method was simple: make easy, lighter food swaps to save calories.
“I started by swapping normal things like using oil for spray, semi-skimmed milk for skimmed and chocolate for healthier snacks.
“I read that if you skip a meal, your body decides to burn body fat instead of food, so I’d go 16 hours without a meal and in turn, I enjoyed the food a lot more.
“I lost one stone in just a month and I was made up with that.
AYESHA'S DAILY DIET: NOW
Breakfast: Cinnamon oats
Morning snacks: Fruit, handful of nuts and raisins
Lunch: Salad
Afternoon snacks: None usually but sometimes baked crisps or small bar of chocolate
Dinner: Chicken, veg and potato
Pudding: Fruit and fat-free ginger yoghurt
“Once other people started noticing and complimenting me – I knew I had the power to continue the journey."
But she hasn't ditched the takeaways altogether.
“I still eat takeaways now, maybe once a month as a treat – but I know how much I can eat to maintain a healthy diet.
“People always ask what I eat and it’s just the same as before – I just know my limitations now.”
MORE ON WEIGHT LOSS
And of course, having a little of what you fancy is often the thing that keeps you on track.
Just look at super-dieter Matthew Hughes, who puts his staggering 16st weight loss down to treating himself to a Kit Kat a day.
We revealed earlier this month the best and worst takeaway options for dieters - and what top nutritionists would order on
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours