Janet Baxendale used to love nothing more than snacking on cakes, biscuits, chocolate and other sugary treats.
But it took just one photo for her to make the lifestyle change she had wanted for years – eventually going on to lose an incredible four stone.
Janet, 63, decided to take action in April 2022 after being snapped walking alongside her two granddgaughters. Shocked by her appearance in the photo, she signed up to Beeweighed, a weight loss support group based in Tameside.
READ MORE: Masterchef's Gregg Wallace shares key to weight loss transformation as he's quizzed on younger wife
At the beginning of her weight loss journey, Janet weighed around 16 stone and was a dress size 22. Now, she weighs just under 12 stone and is a dress size 14 – with the grandma-of-three saying she is “amazed” with the results.
“I was just feeling a bit down in the dumps,” Janet, who lives in Warrington, told the Manchester Evening News. “I was so upset seeing that photo. I had been caught off guard but if my granddaughters looked the same, I must have looked like that.
“I was feeling overweight and I thought I’d have one last bash at it (weight loss). I was on the verge of giving up completely but I saw a sign for Beeweighed and thought I would join – and it’s worked. It’s a total lifestyle change that you can adopt to.”
Janet, a retired community care assistant, says she managed to shed the pounds by sticking to a high-protein and low-carb diet. This includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, fibre and lots of water.
Janet’s go-to meals include chicken and fish, low-cal pizzas, vegetarian dishes and homemade curries. While she hasn’t joined a gym, she’s a regular dog walker.
And aside from a confidence boost, Janet says the weight loss has had another huge positive impact on her life. She claims her joint pain has essentially disappeared, meaning she no longer constantly feels in pain.
“I had really bad back and joint pain,” she added. “Now, it’s almost disappeared. I’ve really seen the benefit. I feel 100 per cent better – I feel totally much more fitter and more confident. It’s just amazing. I think for me, the best thing is the joint pain. If you’re not in pain, that’s great.
“I haven’t had to buy any new clothes because I have wardrobes of clothes I couldn’t get into. It’s absolutely brilliant.
“Snacking was the problem for me – too many snacks. I probably wasn’t bothering too much with breakfast and then grazing throughout the day and eating too much in general of the wrong things. It would be cakes, biscuits, chocolate and lots of sugar and fat.”
Beeweighed owner Lynda Leadbetter, who holds meetings in Denton, Haughton Green, Longsight, Stalybridge and Cheshire, added: “Janet is such a lovely, inspirational lady and is absolutely smashing her weight loss goals – she loses every single week.
“When she goes on holiday, she takes her own scales with her and sends me her weight to keep her on track. She is a valued member of the group; she brings us all breakfast quiches or other low-calorie snacks regularly too. I’m super proud of this amazing lady.”
READ NEXT:
- ITV I'm a Celeb's Owen Warner on eating mission to put weight back on as he reveals how much he lost in the jungle
- 'Everyone was giving me compliments about my weight loss but it was actually due to a devastating condition'
- Overweight student who couldn't fit on tube seat sheds an incredible nine stone
- Woman who wanted breast reduction given shock by doctor before making big change
- Greggs addict lost SIX STONE after ditching her steak bake and bean melt diet '
