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| Basildon woman told 'lose weight or die' sheds 14 stone | Basildon woman told 'lose weight or die' sheds 14 stone |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| A woman who was told by her GP she would die by the time she was 45 if she did not lose weight has shed 14 stone (88.9kg) in 18 months. | A woman who was told by her GP she would die by the time she was 45 if she did not lose weight has shed 14 stone (88.9kg) in 18 months. |
| Cheryl Blythe, from Basildon, Essex was given the warning when she was 31 and weighted 24 stone (152.4kg). | |
| She said a day trip with two friends was the turning point when she realised they had become her carers. | She said a day trip with two friends was the turning point when she realised they had become her carers. |
| Ms Blythe turned down a gastric band operation and instead chose to learn about "healthy eating". | Ms Blythe turned down a gastric band operation and instead chose to learn about "healthy eating". |
| Updates on this story and more from Essex | Updates on this story and more from Essex |
| Before she began to lose weight, she had breathing problems, back pains and found walking difficult. | Before she began to lose weight, she had breathing problems, back pains and found walking difficult. |
| "I knew my health wasn't good and the things I heard from my doctor scared me." | "I knew my health wasn't good and the things I heard from my doctor scared me." |
| But she said she "couldn't pretend I was OK any more" after a day out in Southend with friends. | |
| She was in pain, they had to stop so she could catch her breath and she could not fit into some chairs. | She was in pain, they had to stop so she could catch her breath and she could not fit into some chairs. |
| "I realised that at 31 my friends had become my carers," she said. | "I realised that at 31 my friends had become my carers," she said. |
| Ms Blythe who also took up exercise said she rejected a gastric band operation because she wanted to help her children "have a good understanding of healthy eating". | Ms Blythe who also took up exercise said she rejected a gastric band operation because she wanted to help her children "have a good understanding of healthy eating". |
| Now 33, she joined Slimming World two days after returning from the Southend trip and has been crowned the organisation's Woman of the Year. | Now 33, she joined Slimming World two days after returning from the Southend trip and has been crowned the organisation's Woman of the Year. |
| "My health problems have disappeared, I no longer sit on the sidelines while my family have fun without me, my friends aren't my carers any more, I can wear whatever I want - the list is endless," she said. | "My health problems have disappeared, I no longer sit on the sidelines while my family have fun without me, my friends aren't my carers any more, I can wear whatever I want - the list is endless," she said. |