A mum-of-two from Ipswich who used to eat up to five takeaways a week has lost more than four stone after having "scary" heart palpitations on Christmas Day.
Tracey Foulger, who is just 5ft 2ins tall, has managed to drop from 14st to 9st 5oz with the help of Slimming World, after a worrying health scare made her change her life back in 2015.
It was Christmas Day and the mum-of-two, who is also a full-time carer for her husband, said she realised she needed to make a change after having the terrifying heart palpitations.
She said she could see the panic and fear in the eyes of her eldest son, now 22, and it made her realise she needed to be there for her family.
She was given anti-depressants by doctors, but knew she needed to take control of her eating.
"I was worried there was going to be no-one to step into my shoes if something happened to me," explained Mrs Foulger, 46, whose husband suffers from chronic pain syndrome.
The pair got married just six years ago, after being together for 22 years, but Mrs Foulger said she "hated" the way she looked in her wedding pictures and was determined to make a change.
Before losing the weight, the family would eat around four to five takeaways a week, which Mrs Foulger said was her biggest problem.
"The amount of cheese and crisps I was eating was ridiculous," she said.
"But Slimming World has given me a completely different way of cooking, I never have takeaways anymore except for a naughty pizza on birthdays."
Previously, she would hide away by wearing men's clothing, such as combat trousers, as it was all that would fit.
But now having dropped from a size 20 to a 10/12, she finds the shopping experience much easier and more enjoyable.
She said: "I am so much more confident, and I don't feel like I belong in a corner anymore.
"I already spend a lot of time at home, so I am naturally quite nervous when I go out, but I feel so much better now."
Mrs Foulger enjoys attending the weekly Slimming World class run by Michelle Hood and joins in virtually during the lockdown on Zoom.
She has also taken up Zumba, which she described as being a "fun type of exercise" and has made her committed to passing on this healthy lifestyle to her youngest son.
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