Size 18 mum says she lost SEVEN STONE while she was pregnant by going on a juice diet… but is it healthy?
A MUM claims to have lost an impressive seven stone while she was pregnant.
Cassy Smith, 24, from Kent, weighed 15 stone when she became pregnant with her second child.
Mum-of-two and business owner Cassy, who is married to husband Billy-Joe, says she ballooned during her first pregnancy - leaving her feeling depressed over her size 18 figure.
She said: "I had just had a baby and was so low in myself.
"I had gained so much weight and I was severely lacking in confidence.
"I began to suffer badly with depression and even have suicidal thoughts."
Due to her weight, Cassy also suffered with swelling in her hands and feet, as well as asthma and eczema.
Just three months after giving birth to her daughter, Cassy became pregnant for a second time and decided it was time to shift the weight.
She decided to join Juice Plus - a diet based on juice powder concentrates from 30 different fruits, vegetables and grains.
Cassy says she managed to drop a whopping seven stone in just seven months – taking her to a healthy eight stone.
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She said: "I had two shakes, two snacks and one meal per day.
"I made sure I ate the right amount of calories because obviously I was pregnant.
"I also cut out gluten wheat and dairy."
Cassy said that bystanders "hated" the thought of her weight loss during pregnancy and believed it would be harmful to her baby.
My View: Carol Cooper, Sun Doctor
"Being obese while you’re pregnant raises the odds of serious complications like miscarriage, diabetes in pregnancy, high blood pressure, and pre-eclampsia.
"Being overweight is also a risk factor for obesity in your child (even if the baby’s birthweight is low).
"The perceived wisdom used to be that a pregnant woman shouldn’t lose weight, even if she’s very fat.
"But science now tells us different. Losing weight, especially through a suitable diet, can make all the difference to the health of the mum, and the outcome of her pregnancy.
"In Cassy’s case, weight loss was very rapid - 14lb a month is over 3lb a week.
"Although rich in vitamins, Juice Plus is low in protein and some other nutrients.
"It can be a huge help, but it’s not a complete food.
"Cassy and her baby would also have needed extra calcium and iron, so it's reassuring to see that she had a daily meal as well.
"Anyone who needs to lose weight in pregnancy should do this under expert supervision."
But her daughter, Bunny-May was born on June 9 2015 weighing a healthy 7lb 11oz – more than her first born daughter, Delilah-Rose who weighed 6lb 11oz.
Cassy added: "People hated the thought of it, as they thought it was unhealthy for the baby, but after speaking with specialists and midwives, I knew I was doing the right thing.
"It was more harmful for the baby me being overweight and unhealthy.
"I had a completely healthy pregnancy and lost all my weight.
"My bad skin disappeared, I am fit, healthy and stopped smoking.
"My second baby was actually born heavier than my first even though I was seven stone lighter."
Following her impressive transformation, Cassy is now a slim size six and has created a living out of her weight loss, even starting her own company, CeCe project Ltd - which sells health products.
She added: ";Now I do it for a living and I have created an amazing business from it.
"It's enabled me to provide for my family and my husband hasn't had to work for two and half years, which has also changed my life financially.
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"I've gone from living off benefits to being a six figure earner.
"I couldn't be more proud of myself."
She added: "People can't believe my transformation.
"I now help people for a living, to inspire them and give them hope, to let them know that anything is achievable.
"Because if I can do it why can't they?"
Previously, we revealed how a group of experts believe that exercise "can make labour easier" and the single mum who weighed 17 stone who claimed to have lost eight stone by guzzling GREEN TEA.
And, earlier this year we reported on the anorexia sufferer who transformed after taking up weightlifting.