Mum, 36, shifts half her bodyweight in a year without jabs: she overcame decades of comfort eating with simple snacking hack

 Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight will know that shedding half of your body weight is no mean feat. 

For Chanelle Cross, that challenge was made even harder by debilitating foot pain, joint pain and breathlessness. 

Yet, the mother-of-two managed exactly that – without weight loss jabs, punishing bootcamps, or counting calories. 

Once weighing 20st 0.5lb and wearing a dress size 20, Chanelle, from Nottingham, now sports a svelte size 10 – having dropped 8st 5lb in just nine months. 

And the benefits have gone far beyond her appearance. She is now able to keep up with her two children Melody, 6, and Alistair, 3, and no longer struggles with pain while walking.

Put simply, Chanelle achieved her astonishing transformation by putting a little extra time into preparation.

Instead of opting for ‘convenient’ lunches like fatty ready meals, she prepares low-calorie wraps and salads at the start of the week for ease. 

She’s swapped the chocolate bars – bought on the go – for pots of Greek yogurt or low sugar protein bars that she carries in a handbag in case hunger strikes.

Chanelle’s struggles with her weight began in childhood. 

‘I tried every diet going while I was growing up, from calorie counting to cutting out carbs and junk food altogether,’ she says. 

‘But I’ve always had a big appetite and found it hard to stick to anything long enough, even when it seemed to work at first. 

‘I never enjoyed the food that I could eat, so would give up before I saw any real results.’

Over the years, she tried numerous diets but as she got older the weight became harder to shift. 

She was increasingly inactive, having been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis – a condition that causes foot pain, around the heel and arch and can be caused by overweight. 

Even walking up the stairs made her breathless, let alone chasing her two children around the park. 

But nothing seemed to fill the void, and as her confidence plummeted, she became trapped in a cycle of comfort eating which would see her put away a full English breakfast, a share bag of crisps, chocolates and a ready meal every day. 

The turning point came when her youngest, Alistair, began walking. 

She said: ‘As I got older, my weight continued to increase. I tried to manage it alone, telling myself a treat here or there wouldn’t hurt, but I’d be back at square one before I knew it. 

‘I was tired of being in pain everyday and not being able to walk, but it wasn’t until after having my two children that I finally had the motivation.’ 

Chanelle joined her local Slimming World group, after discovering she was eligible for a free 12-week voucher via Nottingham City Council. 

Slimming World is one of Britain’s biggest commercial weight loss programmes, with members attending weekly weigh-ins to share progress and receive support.  

Its approach is designed to help members maintain their weight loss, offering ongoing support for those who stay within 3lb of their target weight. 

Members are provided with a list of ‘free’ low-calorie foods such as fruit, vegetables and lean proteins – which they can eat whenever they like – and ‘syn’ foods that are completely restricted. 

‘Any nerves I had about walking into a weight loss programme again didn’t last long,’ Chanelle remembers. 

‘It felt nice to be surrounded by people who are all working towards the same goal – and genuinely rooting for you.’

Chanelle started keeping a food diary to monitor her eating patterns and spot where extra calories were creeping into her diet. 

At the same time, she began limiting high calorie, high sugar food and instead focusing on healthier alternatives  – including lean proteins, wholegrains and healthy fats.

Within weeks, the weight started to fall off.  

But the biggest change was her relationship with food. 

 ‘I knew this food optimising plan worked for me, but when I tried it before, my head just wasn’t in it. 

‘I’d make excuses for myself whenever I lost a couple of pounds and then found myself right back where I started. 

‘This time was different. My mental and physical health were at an all-time low and I wanted to be the best version of myself, not just for me but for my family too.’ 

Chanelle learned to plan snacks and meals ahead of time, and adapt exercises and workout routines so they were both challenging and enjoyable. 

‘I’ve always been a bit of a snacker, so I made sure I had healthy snacks, like fish-sticks and protein bars, with me whenever I was out with the kids. 

‘It was a simple change, but it made staying on track a lot easier. 

‘My relationship with food has completely changed now. Instead of grabbing whatever’s easiest, I make sure I have healthy options ready for the week, like overnight oats for breakfast or a homemade wrap. 

‘I’m keeping track of what I eat, without having to count my calories or measure everything I eat and it’s so freeing. It has helped my build habits I know I can stick to.’ 

Gone are the fried dumplings, trifles and sugary cereal. 

Instead, breakfast is typically overnight oats with fresh berries and a drizzling of honey. 

Lunch is a baked sweet potato with roasted vegetables and low-fat cheese, and dinner is a homemade take on Jamaican patties and chips. 

Snacks haven’t entirely disappeared from her diet – although she now opts for fat-free Greek Yoghurt instead of chocolate bars. 

She has also become more active – alternating between dance fitness videos on YouTube and workouts on the Slimming World app, and setting a better example to her kids. 

‘Dinner times have become more enjoyable, especially for the kids who are trying new flavours and foods and now I can run around with them in the park, without needing to stop to catch my breath every few minutes.’

Yet while Chanelle’s transformation is remarkable, only five months have passed since she lost the weight. Whether she retains the benefits is yet to be seen.

Research suggests that around 80 per cent of slimmers will regain at least some of the weight they have lost, often within a year.

Slimming World is one of several popular weight-loss programmes, alongside WeightWatchers and The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan.

Their approaches vary, from points-based systems and group support to meal-replacement shakes and soups, but all ultimately aim to create a calorie deficit – meaning people consume fewer calories than their bodies burn.

WeightWatchers uses a points-based system that offers greater flexibility, while the 1:1 Diet relies heavily on meal replacements such as soups, shakes and bars to produce rapid weight loss. 

Each approach comes with advantages and drawbacks.

Experts have hailed programmes like Slimming World for fostering a sense of community and support, which many members credit for their weight loss. 

However, critics argue some members can become reliant on weekly weigh-ins and find it difficult to stay disciplined on their own.  

Meal-replacement diets often deliver dramatic early results and have even been shown to help reverse  type 2 diabetes. But they can be difficult to sustain long term. 

Weight-loss injections such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, meanwhile, have transformed obesity treatment, helping some users lose up to a quarter of their body weight while improving overall health.

However, studies suggest much of that weight can return once treatment stops, prompting warnings that some patients may need to stay on the medications long term to maintain the benefits. Ultimately, experts say there is no single best diet.

The approaches most likely to succeed are those people can realistically stick to for years rather than weeks, combining a modest calorie deficit with regular activity and fibre-rich foods that help keep hunger at bay.

Meals rich in protein and fibre, including fish, eggs, beans, pulses, wholegrains, nuts, seeds and vegetables, help people feel fuller for longer while consuming fewer calories overall.