‘When I saw cave-diving pic I was shocked at how big I looked’: Holiday snap spurred Carli Jay on to lose 10 stone

REFORMED pizza addict Carli Jay is the inventor of the most unlikely fitness regime ever – the box-set diet.

And she is living proof that bingeing on telly instead of takeaways — and pedalling on an exercise bike rather than flopping on the sofa — works.

She says: “After four months I lost 4st, just in my living room in front of the television.”

Carli, 30, who had hit 20st, first realised she had to do something about her weight when she saw snaps of herself cave-diving in Mexico.

She went on to lose HALF her body weight and dropped from a size 24 to a toned size ten.

Amazingly, her TV fitness routine began with just 15 minutes of pedalling in front of the telly on the dusty bike she had dragged out of storage — but she saw instant results.

The recruiter says of that first session: “I was exhausted, but it felt so good afterwards.

“It was the motivation I needed.”

Carli, of Weybridge, Surrey, had struggled with her weight since school and had to wear adult sizes as a child.

She recalls: “As a teenager I was one of the biggest girls in school, even though I was quite active and enjoyed sport and long walks at the weekends.

“It was when I started working as a recruiter at a desk all day that things really started to escalate.”

Instead of eating a whole pizza I’d have half

Single Carli worked 12-hour days, sitting at her desk or in a car.

She says: “I didn’t think twice about what I was eating. My portion sizes were out of control.

“I didn’t have a concept of feeling full so I would just graze all day.

“At work I’d snack on Jaffa cakes, sweets, lollies, then eat lunch and snack until dinner.

“I’d have two desserts at night and smoke a pack of cigarettes a week.

“I put on 4st in four years.”

Soon even the simplest tasks began to overwhelm her.

She says: “My knees would ache and I was constantly out of breath. Even walking up stairs was daunting.”

But the first time she seriously worried about her health was in August 2013, on her holiday to Mexico with a friend.

At 20st, 5ft 3in Carli realised she was not fit enough to enjoy fun activities — and was also horrified by how she looked in a swimsuit.

She says: “I had no idea I had packed on all this weight.

“I was really excited to try cave diving but I really struggled and it made me realise how much I missed having an active lifestyle.

“I was shocked at how big I looked in my swimsuit and vowed I’d make changes once I was home.”

Instead, Carli fell straight into her old unhealthy ways.

She says: “It was nine months later when I woke up with no feeling in my side that I realised how serious my weight was.

“I was so heavy I’d trapped a nerve, making an entire side of my body go numb — it was terrifying. That evening something switched in me.”

The very next day Carli dug out the old bike, set it up in front of the TV, switched on a box-set and started pedalling.

She felt so good after her initial 15 minutes that she immediately vowed to improve her diet as well.

She says: “I started making little changes. So instead of eating a whole pizza I’d have half of one with a salad.

“And instead of snacking on cakes, I’d have carrots.

“In the first month I lost a stone from just eating healthily and exercising a bit every day.”

After four months she decided to take the next step and move out of her living room, having lost 4st.

She says: “That gave me the courage I needed to join the gym.

“I was offered a personal trainer but refused — I wanted my weight loss journey to be down to me.

“I set myself a goal to lose half my body weight and I have now done it, all by myself.”

Soon she was at the gym every day and earlier this year reached her goal by losing 10st.

Now Carli inspires others through her Instagram account where she regularly posts before and after pictures, as well as gym shots.

She says: “When I look in the mirror or hold up a pair of size ten trousers I have to remind myself that it’s me who fits into them. I never thought I could call myself a health and fitness fan.

“The other day I walked past a mirror in the gym and did a double take. I was so shocked that it was me.

“I’m so proud of what I’ve done and I really hope my story can inspire anyone else who has fallen into a bad cycle and thinks they can’t get out.

“If I did it, you can too and when you do I promise that you’ll feel amazing.”