A woman who hid a food addiction from her family ditched the pounds after getting stuck in a plane seat - shedding a whopping nine stone. Jill Rutherford, 53, started piling on the pounds during her first job as a seamstress aged 16, tucking into sweet treats in between stitches.
She was putting away four slices of bread at breakfast, five slices for lunch, four in the evening, and could demolish an entire breadbasket at the local chippy - all before dinner. The self-confessed ‘secret eater’ used to scoff three chocolate bars on the drive home and then hide the evidence from husband John, 56.
At her biggest, Jill tipped the scales 20st 10lb and once split the seams on her size 26 trousers. The most 'mortifying' experience was when Jill found herself 'wedged' in a plane seat during a trip to Dubai and ended up arriving 'black and blue' from bruising.
The turning point came in 2016 when she received a devastating breast cancer diagnosis and was determined to live a healthier lifestyle. After beating the disease, she joined Slimming World and overhauled her diet – shedding a whopping nine stone.
The mum-of-two is now down 11st 10lb and can fit into a svelte size 12. Jill said: "I was so unfit I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs or bend over and tie my own shoelaces.
"I was such a secret eater and obsessed with any type of white bread, as long as there was a thick layer of butter on top. The flight was so humiliating - I didn't get up and use the loo for the entire 11-hour flight.
“I knew I had to make a change and I can’t believe how far I’ve come.”
Jill noticed her weight spiralling out of control from the aged 19, when she first moved in with her husband John, a farm labourer, who loved to cook. She used to sneak off the local chippy for a large cod and chip, basket of bread, and full-fat coke, before going tucking into a massive homemade dinner.
She said: “It was the norm to tuck into several slices of bread in the evening after John went to work. In my head if nobody saw me do it, then it didn’t count.”
Jill’s continued to gain weight after the arrival of her children – Joe, 33, and Jack, 30. She was left “mortified” during trip to visit her eldest when he moved to Australia in 2016, after she found herself getting stuck in the plane seat.
“I bought myself two seats for the flight, so I didn’t sit next to anyone. But when we landed in Dubai during the first leg of the trip I was completely wedged – it was so embarrassing.
“When we eventually arrived, I was completely black and blue with bruises.”
When Jill returned home, she noticed a lump under arm pit and was devastated to learn she had developed breast cancer. After a lumpectomy, 26 rounds of radiotherapy and six-months of chemotherapy, Jill was announced cancer-free.
But she was dealt another blow when she claimed doctors put her diagnosis down to her weight. Jill continues: “The doctor said my unhealthy lifestyle and obesity was a massive factor.
“If I continued the same path, it was very likely to return. Hearing that was a huge wake-up call for me and I knew had to make a change.”
Towards the end of 2016, Jill signed up to Slimming World and was determined to make a change. She swapped her sugary snacks for healthier alternatives and calorie-controlled meals.
She also started exercising – going out for walks with her Jack Russel Betty and eventually joining a running club. Jill shed a whopping eight stone and dropped to a healthy 12st 7lb.
She is now a healthier size 14 and has more energy than ever before. “I was barely able to walk and now I’m going to the gym three times a week.
“I’ve now become a consultant at Slimming World to help others, like they helped me. It took me a couple of years to hit my target weight but I’m happier than ever.”
Diet before:
Breakfast: Four slices of toast with thick butter and jam
Lunch: Four or five slices of white bread or rolls with tomato soup
Dinner :Big portion of fish and chips or spaghetti Bolognese
Snacks: Four slices of toast, chocolate, biscuits, crumpets
Diet after:
Breakfast: Weetabix and natural yogurt
Lunch: Boiled eggs, ham and salad
Dinner: Slimming world recipe pasta, Bolognese, Shepard's pie
