'I lost eight stones and nine dress sizes by only eating between these times'

A mum shed more than eight stones and nine dress sizes after giving her eating habits a complete overhaul. Andrea Sciolaro had found herself stress eating carbohydrates and fast foods after her youngest daughter Morgan, now seven, was diagnosed with autism in 2018.

But it led to her weight soarings and the 47-year-old eventually found she was weighing more than 18 stone and wearing a size 26. So with concerns for her health the mum-of-two turned to fasting only to be left stunned at how quickly the weight fell off.

Andrea started fasting in January last year, drinking only bone broth for three days a week. On the remaining days, she stuck to a low carb, high protein diet.

She then switched to intermittent fasting, where she eats every day but only between the hours of 3pm and 6pm. She now weighs a healthy 10 stone 3lbs and wears clothes in a size 8.

Andrea, an English teacher, said: "Fasting has changed my life, I feel better than I ever have. 'While many diets focus on what not to eat, fasting concentrates on when you should eat - and involves only eating at specific times."

She added: "My skin is better, my hair looks better, all my aches and pains are gone. It was definitely tough at first, it was a huge paradigm shift.

"But fasting has forced me to make healthier choices and the speed that I've seen results makes it easier to stick to."

When she was at her heaviest, Andrea said she had extremely low self-confidence. She said she regularly binged on carbs especially her favourite Asian foods such as rice and noodles.

She found she was struggling to keep up with her two young daughters Morgan, seven and Scarlett, nine, and chose to hide her body by only wearing baggy clothes.

But her "turning point to beat the bulge'' came when her youngest daughter, who is non-verbal and autistic, attempted flee out of their family home in Dunedin, Florida. The worried mum had gained so much weight she struggled to chase after her.

Her husband Sean Perkins, 51, a senior account representative, had to intervene before Morgan ran into the road. The experience left Andrea "traumatised".

She said: "I cried for a week, I was so upset. My weight was impacting my ability to look after my kids.

"I realised that it was holding me back and I didn't like going out in my swimsuit or going out the house. That was the turning point, and I knew I had to change."

Andrea started out by introducing an hour of cardio, such as HIIT training (high intensity interval training) to her routine three to four times a week. She then started an extended period of fasting aimed at re-setting her metabolism.

Andrea said: "My metabolism was resistant to losing fat, so my body to holding onto fat. By fasting three days a week, I was basically able to restart my metabolism. On my fasting days I'd just drink bone broth, and then on the days that I wasn't fasting I adopted a low carb diet.

Andrea also had to change her mindset along with the way she viewed food so she was able to stick to her new lifestyle. She said: "We're told that we have to eat three meals a day, but that's not necessarily true.

"I did a lot of reading and changed my relationship with food. In the moments that I was hungry, it was hard but I knew the benefit was happening.

"It's mind over body, you can choose to let your body's cravings control you, or you can make the choice that will give you the results that you want. Thankfully my family are very health-orientated so they've been really supportive."

Andrea now only eats during a three-hour window enjoying a low carb, high-protein diet. She said: "It's changed my life, and my family's life. They have started to make healthier choices too.

"I want to be a role model to my kids, and inspire them to be fit and healthy. Even my husband has lost weight, and he loves the way I look now!"

Andrea's diet before:

Breakfast - Eggs, meat, potatoes and bread

Lunch -Fast food, something quick and easy

Dinner - Order takeaway - Asian food was her favourite! Noodles or Rice.

Andrea's diet now:

Intermittent fasting every day

She only eats between 3pm - 6pm

Nutrient-dense foods such as beef, salmon and veg.

She never eats past 8pm