A South Tyneside woman has undergone an incredible weight loss transformation from an overweight dinner lady to adrenaline junkie.
Alison Berry, 63, from Hebburn has lost an incredible 12 stone in just 18 months and is now living life in the fast lane doing fire walks, zip lines, and tree-top assault courses.
The grandma weighed 22 stone at her heaviest and was dependent on medication but had a huge wake up call after the birth of her first grandson Joseph and a flare up which left her hospitalised.
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Alison said: “I cried myself to sleep often worrying that my life would be cut short by my medical condition and weight.
“I wanted to be the best Nana ever who could take her grandchildren everywhere, play on the floor with them, take them swimming, climb inside their pop-up tents and chase them round the garden - the reality is that I couldn’t even cut my toenails, and I certainly couldn’t fit inside the tents”.
But having lost 11st 7lb in 18 months she has turned her life around and is now medication free.
The Hebburn Grandma also now described herself as an ‘adrenaline junkie’, taking on exhilarating challenges to make up for lost time.
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She added: “I was once asked to step off a fairground ride because I was too big to fit inside the safety strap.
“Since then, I’ve been on the world’s fastest zip-line, fire walks, completed a tree-top assault course, and I’m absolutely desperate to do a wing-walk. Life is good now I’ve lost my weight’.
“I used to hide in the background and make fat-jokes about myself, trying to beat others to the punchline - now I live life with a big smile on my face and enjoy every minute. I can’t wait to watch my grandchildren grow up and be a huge part of their lives”.
She lost the weight over just 18 months after changing her diet and joining a weight-loss club.Alison told how joined Slimming World and used products from The Skinny Food Co, a company which creates low-calorie and low-sugar foods such as snacks, flavoured coffees and 'fakeaway' sauces with the aim of not sacrificing on taste.
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She is also now encouraging others to take on their own weight loss journeys.
Alison said: “I don’t just have a sweet tooth, I have a mouth filled with sweet teeth - it was a real problem.
“I used to have a full-fat can of coke with a handful of chocolate bars for breakfast and would graze all day at work.
“The combination of a Slimming World diet and the Skinny Food Co’s low-calorie products has changed my life.
“I won't say losing weight was easy, but with determination it sure is worth it. Leave that old, sad life behind and take the plunge. Take each day as it comes and enjoy the process.
“I used to be afraid of walking to the shop in case people laughed at me, now I walk with my head held high with a big smile on my face - and you can too”.
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