Mum puts 6stone weight loss down to two types of night-time activity
A mum-of-four who tipped the scales at 14 stone managed to lose nearly half her body weight following the breakdown of her decade-long marriage. Linzi Steer, a ghost hunter from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, attributed her incredible weight loss journey to paranormal investigations and finding love again.
She confessed that she had gained weight due to comfort eating on takeaways and sweet treats as her marriage deteriorated, causing her size to balloon to a size 16. The petite 5ft 2ins paranormal enthusiast revealed that her wake-up call came in August 2023 when she looked in the mirror and hardly recognised the 'haggard' reflection staring back at her.
Determined to make a change, the dedicated mum revamped her diet and upped her physical activity, including conducting more ghost hunts which she shares on her paranormal page, Linzi's Para Quest.
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As she began to shed the pounds, Linzi's confidence grew and she soon found herself in a relationship with a man she met on TikTok. The besotted mum now credits her svelte size 8, 8st 1lb figure to healthy eating, ghost hunting, and an active romantic life.
Reflecting on her past, Linzi said: "My ex-husband and I were together about 10 years, when I first met him I was like I am now, I always looked after myself. Then it turned into a vicious cycle, I was really unhappy in my life and the state of my marriage so I comfort ate.
"[After we broke up] I looked at myself in the mirror and I thought 'what the hell?' I looked haggard, I wasn't looking after myself. One morning I woke up and thought 'right Linzi you've got to get up and get yourself sorted out'.
"I started to eat more whole foods instead of convenience foods and started to feel so much better. Now I'm in a new relationship, obviously there's a lot of exercise. I've got a lot of time to make up for it, I'm now happy and healthy. I can also credit my weight loss to such an active job chasing ghosts, I go all over the place and walk a hell of a lot."
A combination of poor food choices and the volume of food Linzi scoffed contributed to her bulging waistline and sad mood. Linzi said: "I was eating all the wrong things at all the wrong times, I wasn't disciplined like I am now. I got pretty lazy, it was a horrible, vicious circle. I've got two herniated discs in the bottom of my back and the weight on my back was agony.
"I don't do any stupid, crazy diets. I eat healthily, I love fruit and veg, and I'm constantly drinking water. It keeps your skin in lovely condition. I'll have fruit throughout the day and at tea time I'll have chicken and veggies. In the evening I have a few nuts, I don't eat chocolate, crisps or sweets.
"Occasionally I might have a little glass of wine, why shouldn't I? I feel empowered and sexy, I've got my confidence back."
As Linzi grappled with a new healthy eating and exercise regimen, she met her new partner over TikTok in December. After six months of messaging, they met in his home country of Albania in June. The pair hit it off with Linzi describing their relationship as like a 'Mills & Boon' romance and saw her extending her trip by five days to spend more time with him.
Linzi said: "I've met a lovely man over there, I've been talking to him since Christmas, we met through TikTok. People can request to come on [the lives] on he pops and he sat there looking at me, his jaw was on the floor.
"I said 'are you ok?' He said 'you're beautiful' and we started chatting. He added me on WhatsApp and every single day since then we've talked. Then it progressed and he asked me 'will you come here?' I thought 'sod it, life's too short', I booked an apartment and flights and off I went.
"I was nervous as hell. When I walked through [the airport] he was stood there with his arms out and from that moment he never left my side. I should have been there for a week but I added five extra days because he didn't want me to come home.
"I was getting feelings. On the day I was coming home we said goodbye and I was sobbing. I knew from that moment when I was leaving him, that's where my heart was.
"I've got my gorgeous, Albanian fella now, he's been coming for a long time coming. The Albanian culture is very different from English culture, they're so respectful and he treats me with so much love.
"I feel like I've found my soulmate even in this short space of time, it's like a Mills & Boon romance. I'm going back in July for three months, you never know I might end up living over there. I'm living my best life at 55 years old, it's never too late."
Linzi's pre-weight-loss diet
Breakfast - Cereal or four slices of toast with butter, two full-fat lattes
Mid-morning snack - Biscuits and another full-fat latte, crisps
Lunch - Cheese on toast
Mid-afternoon snack - Sweets
Dinner - Fast food e.g. pizza
Evening snack - Sweets and chocolate
Post ghost-hunting trip snack - kebab/pizza and sweets/bar of chocolate
Post-weight-loss diet
Breakfast - Fat-free Greek yoghurt, muesli, banana with honey. Cup of herbal tea.
Lunch - Boiled eggs, avocado and fruit
Mid-afternoon snack - Fresh fruit
Dinner - Chicken or fish with vegetables and couscous or rice.
Evening snack - Fruit and nuts
Drinks - Drinking water throughout the day