Basildon woman told 'lose weight or die' sheds 14 stone

Cheryl Blythe said she was in pain and unable to walk without stopping to catch her breath

A woman who was told by her GP she would die by the time she was 45 if she did not lose weight has shed 14 stone (88.9kg) in 18 months.

Cheryl Blythe, from Basildon, Essex was given the warning when she was 31 and weighted 24 stone (152.4kg).

She said a day trip with two friends was the turning point when she realised they had become her carers.

Ms Blythe turned down a gastric band operation and instead chose to learn about "healthy eating".

Updates on this story and more from Essex

Before she began to lose weight, she had breathing problems, back pains and found walking difficult.

"I knew my health wasn't good and the things I heard from my doctor scared me."

But she said she "couldn't pretend I was OK any more" after a day out in Southend with friends.

Her GP warned Cheryl Blythe she had to lose weight or she could die

She was in pain, they had to stop so she could catch her breath and she could not fit into some chairs.

"I realised that at 31 my friends had become my carers," she said.

Ms Blythe who also took up exercise said she rejected a gastric band operation because she wanted to help her children "have a good understanding of healthy eating".

Now 33, she joined Slimming World two days after returning from the Southend trip and has been crowned the organisation's Woman of the Year.

"My health problems have disappeared, I no longer sit on the sidelines while my family have fun without me, my friends aren't my carers any more, I can wear whatever I want - the list is endless," she said.