A mum who secretly scoffed McDonald’s on her school runs lost four stone in four months to fit into her wedding dress – without ever working out or exercising.
Determined Katy Toft, 40, gorged more than 3,000 calories a day after she had her fourth child Alice in January 2019 – and had to continue wearing her maternity clothes eight months later.
But, when her now husband, Martyn Toft, 40, proposed she realised she needed to change her habits after the thought of dress shopping made her feel “dreadful”.
Katy slashed her diet to just 800 calories a day for four months from October 2019 to January 2020 so she could wear the perfect dress.
Previously the mum-of-four would secretly nip to McDonald’s between school runs and snacked on crisps, chocolates and biscuits throughout the day.
It got “quickly out of control” and she had ballooned to 16st 7lbs by August 2019 from just around 13st before her pregnancy.
Katy, who works in a bank, said she felt self-conscious as her weight affected “every aspect” of her life and she worried about the health factors associated with obesity.
At her heaviest, she had a BMI of 38 – which the NHS states is falling close to severely obese.
But she decided to make a change after getting engaged and wanting to celebrate her big day in a small dress.
Remarkably Katy lost four stone in just four months – slimming down to 12st 7lb by the beginning of 2020.
The glowing bride walked down the aisle last October wearing the dress she’d always wanted after going from a size 20/22 to a size 12/14 – which she described as “the best feeling in the world”.
Katy, from Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, said: “It sounds dramatic, but it affected every aspect of my life.
“I felt self conscious in my uniform at work, I didn’t like how I looked. Everything was harder and mentally it was a struggle.
“The health factors were always on the back of my mind. I worried about getting diabetes.
“And I didn’t stop wearing my maternity wardrobe for months because I wanted to hide my weight gain.
“I was always trying to sneak in snacks in between meals and we had a McDonald’s near our house so in between school runs I’d go and secretly have myself a meal.”
Katy added: “We got engaged while I was pregnant and I knew we wanted to set a date and I knew I had to get myself whipped up into shape by then.
“I knew that I couldn’t walk down the aisle feeling self conscious about how I look and the thought of dress shopping was dreadful.
“It felt amazing when I got the dress. It felt like a great achievement. I was so worried it wouldn’t look the way I wanted it to.
“But I felt like I was on top of the world. It was the best feeling in the world.”
After her pregnancy Katy signed up for the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan and was assisted along the way by consultant Karen Beebee.
She said she simply followed the plan, which lowered her calorie intake to just 800 a day, and saw results in just months.
Katy willed herself away from her favourite snacks and instead drank smoothies and ate low calorie proteins like chicken as well as Cambridge meal replacement bars.
She said: “I don’t work out at all, I just follow the plan and stick to it. I’m a busy mum so I walk plenty but aside from that, I don’t exercise.
“It’s not all about how you look and how heavy you are, it’s about how you feel.
“Every person needs to do what they feel comfortable to feel how they want to feel.
“I felt like my confidence was dwindling and I was worried about being at risk due to Covid.
“It really hammered it home for me and I decided I was going to make the most effort.
“I’m a normal mum who is busy and loves to eat – if I can do it, you can as well, you just need the right support.”
She said she feels “happy and healthy” now and that all of her sacrifices were worthwhile when she got to walk down the aisle and marry the love of her life.
BEFORE
Sugary cereal
Toast
Breakfast before school run
McDonalds on the school run
Breakfast after school run
Sandwich with crisps and chocolate bar
Snack after school
Biscuits
Takeaway or pizza
3,000 calories
ON THE PLAN
Smoothie
Spag bolognese meal pack
Chicken and salad
Cambridge bar
800 calories
NOW
Cambridge product (smoothie or bar) for breakfast
Home made soup
Crackers and Yoghurt
Veggie chilli and rice
1,200 calories
