Tired of feeling embarrassed and unhappy Kay Richardson decided to lose some weight and regain her zest for life. She tells Jaine Blackman how she did it

You might not want to think about losing weight until after you’ve polished off those chocolate eggs tomorrow but once you do, you can take inspiration from Kay Richardson.

Kay, 54, of Wolvercote, has lost more than six stone in just under a year and has turned her life around.

“For the first time in a long time, I’m feeling good about myself,” says Kay, who is married with a 22-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter.

“I’ve got my self-confidence back, I actually like my reflection in shop windows now.”

Before she had her son, Kay was mainly a size 12. “After him, I went up to a size 14/16. I had my daughter six years later and then was 16/18,” she says.

She and her husband stopped smoking 14 years ago and her dress size went up to 18/20, gradually increasing until she was looking at size 24 tops.

But it was seating that finally caused her to take stock.

Kay had difficulty in sitting in her doctor’s waiting room seats that had arms; she was terrified of breaking friends chairs at dinner parties and was so embarrassed to sit on a bus seat in case someone came and sat next to her and couldn’t fit on the space for two people, she would always stand up.

“The final straw was my husband or son having to help me get off the settee.”

So last April, Kay, who is 5ft 5ins, joined Laura Hatton’s Slimming World group in Kidlington and has gone from 18 and half stone to 12 stone 6lbs at this week’s weigh-in and can now buy size 14 clothes.

“My mojo has come back, I feel more confident and ready to take on the world again,” she says.

And she’s not stopping there.

“My aim is to be a size 12 by the summer, so I am aiming to lose another stone and half. My target will be 8 stone,” says Kay.

“Everyone can’t believe the transformation. If people haven’t seen me for a while they do a double take.”

It’s not always been easy. “One of the hardest things has been cutting down on wine and high calorie foods such as chocolate and crisps.

“But it’s not about cutting them out altogether. You can have a glass of wine and there are alternatives to chocolate and crisps,” says Kay.

And the rewards have been worth it. “I feel 10 years younger and can look at clothes that reflect that,” she says.

“I never thought I would enjoy going to a group sessions I thought that was just too cheesy.

“I’m now such a convert that I am going to start my own group to help people.

“I am so pleased that I took that first step. The results have just been amazing.”

Family loses 15 stone together

It's not just Kay who has benefitted from her new eating plan.

“As a family we’ve lost a total of 15 stone and all feeling healthier and fitter. I’ve had to change the way I cook , so no oil, butter, fat or sugar in foods,” says Kay. “I don’t do separate meals for me. And the great thing about Slimming World is that you don’t have to.”

Previously Kay would skip breakfast and drink 10 to 15 cups of tea/coffee a day, each with three sugars in in. 

She’d eat a family size bag of sweets while driving home from work. 

“Roast dinners were loads of sausages and potatoes cooked in the meat fat. If I had a jacket potato, it would be swimming in butter and melted cheese, so much so that the melted cheese would reach the edge of the dinner plate.

Oxford Mail:
Kay Richardson before she lost weight

“If I cooked a stir fry, I would use a whole bottle of sesame seed oil.”

Now, she always have breakfast, which tends to be porridge, cereal, eggs or toast.

“It’s important to vary it it. If I wanted to I could have eggs, bacon, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, ie a cooked breakfast every day.

“I always have lunch, which varies between having sandwiches, pasta, salad, or often it’s the leftovers from the previous night’s dinner.

“Dinner times, we all sit together for the family meal, spaghetti bolognaise, curries, lasagne, stews, roast dinners for Sundays, no meal is banned, just tweaked – so no more sesame seed oil in stirfrys.

“I’ve just learned to cook them in a different way with just as much flavour if not more.”

* Kay has been so thrilled with the results that she now wants to help others follow their weight loss dreams and is setting up a new Slimming World Group in Botley. The group will meet at The Rosary Room, Yarnells Hill, Thursday evenings at 7.30pm from April 30.

You can contact Kay on 07597091000 for further information or email her on kayswbotley@gmail.com