A woman who suffered a seizure in her sleep was left mortified when paramedics found her naked - and has now dropped five dress sizes in a bid to live a healthier lifestyle.
Lorraine Rookyard suffered a non epileptic seizure in 2014 while at home in Stowmarket and came round to find the ambulance crew were helping her get dressed.
The 68-year-old said: “I suffered a seizure in my sleep, I sleep nude so the two ambulance men had to help me get dressed.
“The thought of this was awful. I knew I was putting on weight and needed to do something about - then the next thing I knew I was in a hospital bed.
“Once I was well enough I decided I needed to lose this weight. I never want that to happen again.”
Lorraine, who is now retired, adopted an exercise regime and cut back her portion sizes and over the course of the next four years she shed six stone. She has gone from a size 24 to a healthy size 14.
She said: “I have so much confidence now and feel so much better. I actually buy coloured clothes now, I used to just wear black.”
The mum-of-four continued: “I haven’t cut out anything, I am just more aware of what I am eating. Portion sizes were a big thing for me so I just adjusted that.
“I still have chips if I want them and potatoes I am just more aware - it has become a way of life.
“I think you just start subconsciously looking at what you’re eating and sometimes I pick a salad instead of chips.
“I have upped my exercise, I do more walking, go to three aqua aerobic sessions a week and I do Zumba - with these exercises it doesn’t feel like a chore to go, you want to go.”
Lorraine, who is also a grandmother to 10, believes her weight may have been a contributory factor in her health scare and she hasn’t had any further seizures since losing the weight.
And since loosing the weight the former Asda employee has been able to tick something major off her bucket list.
Lorraine said: “I have always loved horses and always wondered what it would be like to ride one.
“I said to myself when I get to my goal weight I am going to ride a horse, so I did and it was fantastic.
“When spring gets here I am going to do it again and make it more of a regular thing. For Christmas I have asked for money so I can put it towards horse riding.”
It doesn’t stop there - she is now considering an even bigger challenge that would never have been possible before she slimmed down.
“My partner has also suggested that I do a parachute jump, I will have to think about that, but maybe in the future.”
Lorraine attributes her success to Weight Watchers.
She said: “I go to Weight Watchers once a week and we all get weighed if we want to. We have a chat about wellness and our wellbeing and the whole body.
“All the members are doing the same thing and we all help and support each other, it is also a good social thing.”
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