Gran who comfort ate after daughter's death reveals how she shed three stone

A gran who piled on the pounds following the devastating loss of her daughter has revealed how she managed to lose almost three stone.

Wendy Chapman tipped the scales at 16st when she decided to change her lifestyle habits for good in January 2023.

The 68-year-old ballooned to a dress size 22 after losing her daughter Taya to bowel cancer three years ago. Taya was just 39-year-old when she tragically passed away, leaving behind two children.

Join our WhatsApp Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link

Overcome by inconsolable grief, Wendy turned to comfort eating, often gorging on multiple chocolate share bags by herself every night.

Wendy gained so much weight her confidence hit an all-time low – leaving her unable to leave the house due to low self-esteem.

The gran tried several different weight loss classes and diets but nothing seemed to help her slim down.

That was until she decided to join Greater Manchester and Cheshire slimming group Beeweighed – going on to lose just over two and a half stone.

“I’d put that much weight on and I just didn’t feel comfortable,” Wendy, who lives in the Northwich area of Cheshire, told the MEN.

“I’d tried other weight loss groups and I stuck them out but I just couldn’t seem to lose the weight.

“This is the first slimming group I’ve been to where we’ve all clicked and we’ve all become such good friends. They don’t criticize you.”

Wendy, who works as a cleaner, says it was the tragic loss of her daughter that triggered her weight gain.

“I couldn’t talk about it and I just felt so depressed and low,” she added. “She was really poorly with cancer and then she died. I just sat there and I didn’t care what I ate.

“I sat and literally stuffed my face with chocolate at night when my husband was working away. I would sit there and eat the chocolate share bags, I would have a couple of those a night.”

But by becoming more active and following a calorie-counting regime, Wendy now weighs in at 13st 10lbs and is a dress size 18.

“I stick to 1,200 calories a day,” she added. “I can still have chocolate as long as I stay within the amount.

“I’ve started going to the gym with one of the girls from Beeweighed and did the cancer Walk for Life last year. I love going to the gym classes.

“There’s been a big improvement in terms of my confidence. At one point, I wouldn’t go out. But now, if there’s things going on, I’ll join in.”

Lynda Leadbetter, owner of Beeweighed, which also runs national Zoom sessions, said: “Wendy is a really lovely lady who has achieved fabulous success. Her optimism shines, she’s full of positivity week after week. As a valued part of the Northwich community, I am immensely proud of her accomplishments.”