Thatcham mum-of-two sheds five and a half stone in 12 months

Mum-of-two Tanya Emmons, 42, has put her success down to the Fast Diet - or intermittent fasting - which involves trimming recommended calorie intake by a quarter to 500 calories for women and 600 for men for just two days a week.
Mrs Emmons was 17 and a half stone and a size 22 when she started ‘fasting’ in January 2013, but now weighs a healthy 12 stone and fits into size 14 clothes.
Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News this week, she said: “After my second son was born in 2003, I got into a habit of not moving around much; using the car to go everywhere, sitting at my desk at work, and watching TV. I would eat whatever and whenever I fancied, rather than when I was hungry.
“A lot of the time I didn't acknowledge how big I had become. I would only look in the mirror to put on my makeup and do my hair. I avoided being in photographs and if I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I felt shocked at how large I looked.
“I'd tried diet after diet over the years, only to find that once I stopped eating in the way the diet prescribed I'd put back on the weight I'd lost and more. Because the diets always restricted certain foods (my favourites such as chocolates, crisps and chips!) I longed for them and felt guilty once I'd eaten them.
“When I heard through a friend about intermittent fasting, and how it could be a way of losing weight it sounded perfect for me.”
Now Mrs Emmons, who works as a manager in social care for a Theale based company, says she feels like a new person following her achievements.
“Now I feel energised, healthy and excited about life,” she said.
“I can physically do so much more now that I am carrying less weight on my body. I feel comfortable in my own skin and am happy with what I see when I look in the mirror. That is a great feeling.
“The meals I eat haven’t changed a great deal, although as a family we eat more of a balanced diet. I eat less than I used to during a meal, and I don’t snack throughout the day and evening as I used to.”
When asked what advice she would offer to others, she added: “Firstly, not to think that there is no point in trying to lose weight because you are too big and there is no way back to a normal weight. I can tell you there is, because I did it.
“Also to see intermittent fasting as a way of life and not as a quick fix diet. See fasting as part of your weekly routine, something that you do to stay fit and well; it will be much easier to do.”
Mrs Emmons says she couldn’t have done it without the help of her husband David, 45, and sons Charlie, 14, and Ben, 12.
“My husband and children have been extremely supportive and they tell me that they are very proud of me,” she said.
“Friends have said that I am an inspiration to them and that I’ve motivated them to lose weight and exercise.”
The diet is not recommended for pregnant women or people with eating disorders.
For more information, visit http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/01January/Pages/Does-the-5-2-intermittent-fasting-diet-work.aspx