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Yo-Yo Dieter Lost 17 Stone After Dumping Takeaway Delivery Driver Husband

Yo-Yo Dieter Lost 17 Stone After Dumping Takeaway Delivery Driver Husband

Kelli Kinsella's husband would bring her mounds of food home after his shifts before following it up with trips to the chippy

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

It's amazing how quickly things can turn around when you remove negativity from your life, isn't it? Take it from Kelli Kinsella, who lost a whopping 17 stone after dumping her takeaway delivery driver husband.

The 37-year-old yo-yo dieter would wait at home to receive her greasy Chinese food after her ex brought it home at the end of his shift. The pair would then follow it up with trips to the chippy.

Kelli before she lost weight the first time.
Triangle News

Kelli would start her days with up to three cheese and onion pasties and then a baguette for lunch.

She said: "My husband was a Chinese takeaway delivery driver so he would come home every evening with piles of food. Even after the Chinese, we'd snack on chips from the chip shop.

"It was so frustrating because my husband is one of those men who can eat and eat and eat and not gain any weight. He looked like a twig while I just got bigger and bigger."

Kelli at a friends wedding before she lost weight for the second time.
Triangle News

Project manager Kelli's colossal weight loss was no mean feat - it was so difficult, in fact, that it came in two parts.

She admits that she was always a 'big girl', having been a size 16 in primary school. But, shortly after marrying Steve when she was 24, she decided enough was enough and embarked on a Weight Watchers diet which saw her drop from 28 stone to 11 in just over a year.

Kelli - who is 5ft 11 - swapped her bad diet for healthy 'fakeaways' and spent her evenings slogging away on a treadmill.

Kelli now after losing weight for the second time.
Triangle News

Unfortunately, just two years later she piled on seven stone after being forced to take steroids following an operation on her gallbladder.

She returned to her old habits and regained ten stone - catapulting her back into a dress size 32 and making her too big to fit into clothes from plus-sized brands such as Evans.

Her second wake-up call came in July 2017 when her obese father Bernie Kinsella, 68, was diagnosed with cancer. While he went on to survive the illness, the whole experience made Kelli reflect on her marriage, career and general health.

Having been increasingly miserable for years, she divorced her husband - with whom she remains close friends - left her job at an oil company and vowed to return to Weight Watchers.

Kelli after putting the weight back on.
Triangle News

After ditching her husband - and with him the takeaway leftovers he bought home - she set about losing 17 stone once again.

Within the space of 15 months, she became happily single, settled in a new career and her weight fell to an impressive 10.5 stone, making her a size eight to ten.

She said: "The first time I lost the weight, I knew I wasn't healthy. I was obsessed. I was going too far with Weight Watchers - I was depriving myself and hitting the gym seven days a week. I would look in the mirror and honestly couldn't see a difference.

Kelli after losing all the weight.
Triangle News

"My then-husband had to tell me to stop losing the weight because he could see I was too thin. This time was totally different; I took weekly photographs of my body and could see my progress clearly.

"I was also single for the first time in 18 years and I had time to properly focus on myself."

While losing 17 stone once - let alone twice - might sound like a gruesome challenge to most, Kelli, of Purfleet, Essex, is adamant it didn't take much work.

Kelli now after using Weight Watchers to lose weight.
Triangle News

She said: "What I love about Weight Watchers is that I don't have to deprive myself. I still go out every Friday night and enjoy my sambuca and my vodka. But now I have a much healthier relationship with food - I control my portion sizes and I've learnt to stop emotional eating.

"I want people to know that it doesn't have to be that hard, you don't need a gastric band or surgery - if I can do it twice, so can anybody."

Kelli, who has no outstanding health complications from the weight loss, now lives on a diet of oatmeal muffins, aubergine pizzas and home-made lasagne.

She is looking forward to a fat-free future and is saving money for a skin-tuck surgery to perfect her dream body.

After being single for a year and a half, she is now venturing into the world of online dating as she hopes to start a family in the near future.

She said: "My dad's illness made me realise that life is so short and so precious. If you're not happy in yourself, it's important to take control and do something about it. I'm happier than I've ever been and I will definitely never look back.

"I've seen my mum and dad struggle with so many health problems from being overweight in later life. I'm determined not to go that way. I'm too happy to sacrifice it all again."

But she added: "My husband and I had been together for 18 years and he was all I knew. But I came to the realisation I wasn't happy. We've stayed in touch and I actually think we work much better as friends - I even set him up with his current girlfriend!"

Featured Image Credit: Triangle News

Topics: Weight Loss, UK News, Community