A 26-year-old woman who dropped five stone of “freshers’ weight” has now purchased her first home thanks to her dieting know how. Katy Postlethwaite, from Norwich, had always struggled with her weight, but when she started living independently at the University of East Anglia in 2014 the pounds piled on and soon the once sporty teen had ballooned to 15st over three years.
Determined to lose the weight, Katy joined Cambridge Diet Plan in May 2017, shedding five stone and hitting her target weight of 10st in the summer of 2019. So when Katy hit financial hardship after graduation, the slimmer decided to turn her success into a business and became a consultant, purchasing her first home in November last year thanks to her slimming know how.
“It’s been life changing,” said Katy. “It sounds corny, but I feel like the old me. My confidence has skyrocketed, and I’ve been able to turn something I love into a business.”
Despite being a slender teen, Katy said she always had a difficult relationship with food – but it wasn’t until she started university in 2014 that she piled on the pounds. “If I’m completely honest, the bingeing started way earlier in life. I started having a problem with food from about 12 or 13 years old,” explained Katy.
“But you don’t really gain the weight as much back then. Then I suddenly left home and went to university.”
She added: “I started eating more and more, I think it was how I handled my anxiety, and I was a bit depressed during that time. Plus, you don’t have a very healthy lifestyle at university.”
Rising to 15st over three years, Katy’s confidence hit an all-time low. “At my biggest I was a size 18 on top and a size 20 on bottom,” said Katy.
She added: “When I gained the weight, my anxiety became about being overweight. When I started gaining loads of weight, I completely lost myself. I was then too anxious to actually take part in sports and I didn’t join any societies at university because I was too anxious because of my weight.
“I didn’t want to walk down the street because I was anxious that everyone would be looking at me.”
So when her mum suggested she try Cambridge diet plan in May 2017, the student leapt at the chance to get fit. “I tried a lot of different diets,” said Katy.
“Then my mum mentioned Cambridge diet plan and the 1:1 diet. She told me I needed to do something about my weight, she could see how unhappy it was making me.”
She added: “Then my consultant, Jane, came and visited me during the end of my third year of university. I started with meal replacements. At the time I didn’t feel like I could be on a plan that included everyday foods, because I found it really daunting.”
And by the summer of 2019, Katy had dropped a staggering five stone, reaching 10st and wearing a size 12.
“It was quick,” said Katy. “It took six months overall, but I took a break over 2018 to work on my mental health. I now maintain my weight within the 10st range.
“At first reintroducing food wasn’t easy. I had to learn about healthy foods and portion sizes. But it became a lot easier.”
She added: “I can now walk down the street and not feel like everyone’s staring at me. I’m more confident to go out and do the things that I want to do.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a runner, but if at any time I do want to go to the gym or go for a little jog or a walk, I feel like I can do it with ease.”
However, after graduating university with a BSc in Psychology, Katy hit financial hardship and struggled to make ends meet. “I was in a really bad financial situation,” said Katy.
“I was a teaching assistant and wasn’t happy in the workplace. I felt a bit stuck and didn’t really know what else to do in life. I felt like I was supposed to have it all sorted and I didn’t.”
She added: “So my consultant suggested I sign up to help ease my financial issues. So I started working as a consultant part-time alongside my teaching job. Then I just got the bug for it and it was making me happy and improving my mental health.”
Going full time in August 2018, Katy turned her slimming success into a business – the graduate was thrilled. “I got to the point in August 2018 that I could go full-time,” explained Katy.
“I never imagined I would be a business owner. I never thought that for myself. But I’ve really found myself and grown as a person because of it.”
And as Katy’s success bloomed so did her bank balance, finally buying her own three-bedroom home in November 2021 costing £248,000 with her partner, Dean, 31, who fits water meters.
“Last tax year I earnt £22,000,” said Katy. “I think this tax year will be more. In November last year my partner Dean and I were able to buy our first home together.”
She added: “It’s a three-bed semi-detached. It’s a really good home and I can see us here for at least the next 10 years.”
Now, the couple are looking to the future. “We met in a sped-up way because of lockdown,” laughed Katy.
She added: “We moved in together after a couple of months of dating, so we had been together just over a year and a half when we bought our home.
“We’re not engaged yet, but I can definitely see it in our future with one or two kids. No matter what, I know that my business is something I want to do for the long term.”
