Mum-of-six ‘looks 15 again’ after shedding HALF her body weight and dropping down from a size 20 to 4
A MUM-of-six looks “unrecognisable” after shedding half her body weight and dropping from a size 20 to a 4.
Chelsea Doyle had her first child at just 15 years old – by her sixth, she’d gained five stone and crept up six dress sizes.
The 28-year-old tried her hand at number of fad diets between each pregnancy, but none of them stuck.
Also a self-confessed binge-eater, Chelsea would sometimes have as many as five takeaways a week and found herself unable to stop eating even when she wasn’t hungry.
She began to feel less and less like herself – and even refused to leave the house while at her heaviest weight of 16st 7lbs.
Chelsea decided enough was enough two years ago and splashed out £2,400 on gastric sleeve surgery in Turkey in a bid to regain her pre-baby body.
The full-time mum lost half her body weight [eight stone] within a year of the stomach-shrinking op in February 2023.
But her rapid weight loss left her with loose skin, which she felt insecure about.
Last year Chelsea forked out £6,500 on a tummy tuck, liposuction and breast implants and uplift before spending another £4,000 on an arm and thigh lift in January.
She now weighs 8st 2lbs and has dropped from size 20 to a size 4, leaving her feeling confident enough to wear crop tops and bikinis.
Chelsea, from Bromley, South West London, said: “I’ve got six children and essentially had back-to-back labours.
“I didn’t lose the weight in between, I just gained and gained.
“I’d tried shakes, Slimming World, Weight Watchers – there wasn’t a diet out there that I hadn’t tried.
“I wanted to get back to my body pre-kids but I would gain it back as quickly as I lost it. I couldn’t stick to it.
“I didn’t want to go out, I didn’t feel comfortable wearing anything, I didn’t feel myself.
“I avoided going on holiday when I was big and I didn’t even want to take the children swimming. It was my biggest insecurity.
“I was a massive binge-eater. If I was depressed, I would eat and if I was happy, I would eat. I was eating four or five takeaways a week.
“It was like a food addiction. I wasn’t even hungry but I would just eat and eat.”
In December 2022, Chelsea researched weight-loss surgeries in Turkey and she underwent her gastric-sleeve operation just three weeks after paying for it.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has previously warned that cut-price cosmetic ops in Turkey are “too good to be true” and Brits who travel for boob jobs, tummy tucks, butt and facelifts are putting their lives at risk.
Chelsea's diet pre and post weight loss
A self confessed binge-eater, Chelsea often indulged in takeaways before her weight loss.
Here’s what she ate:
- Breakfast – Full English breakfast
- Lunch – Chips
- Dinner – Chinese, Indian, spaghetti bolognese, lasagna
- Snacks – McDonald’s
Here’s what she eats after undergoing surgery:
- Breakfast – Cup of tea
- Lunch – Protein shake/bar
- Dinner – Chicken and salad or rice
- Snacks – Fruit
Chelsea lived off a liquid food diet when she returned home, shedding a stone in weight within the first week.
She claims the ‘mummy makeover’ surgeries that followed changed her life and that people don’t even recognise her.
Chelsea said: “My confidence has come back now. I take my children out all the time now and I take them on holiday. I’m so much happier.
“I’m never out of breath or tired anymore, I’ve got so much more energy.
“Some people don’t even recognise me, they can’t believe what I look like. I wish I’d done it sooner.
“I’m wearing bikinis, crop tops, shorts and nice underwear now but I wouldn’t even look at them before.
“I went to Lanzarote in November and lived in a bikini but I would have never dreamt of doing that before the surgeries.
“People tell me how much younger I look. This surgery saved my life.”
How to lose weight without surgery
There are various other ways to lose weight without going under the knife.
According to the NHS, to get the best possible start on its weight loss plan, there are the seven steps you should follow.
- Get active for 150 minutes a week – you can break this up into shorter sessions
- Aim to get your 5 A Day – 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables count as 1 portion
- Aim to lose 1 to 2lbs, or 0.5 to 1kg, a week
- Read food labels – products with more green colour coding than amber and red are often a healthier option
- Swap sugary drinks for water – if you do not like the taste, add slices of lemon or lime for flavour
- Cut down on food that’s high in sugar and fat – start by swapping sugary cereal for wholegrain alternatives
- Share your weight loss plan with someone you trust – they can help motivate you when you have a bad day