Support worker ditches 13st in just 16 months

A SOUTH Wales woman has turned her life around by losing an incredible 13st in just 16 months.

Maria Parfitt, from Aberdare, weighed 28st and suffered from a number of health conditions linked to her weight.

But after hearing about a calorie counting app, mental health support worker Maria took it upon herself to hit the gym and change her life for the better.

Maria, 30, said: “Three years ago, I had just broken up with my boyfriend and thought I was never going to meet anyone the way I was looking.

“I got to that size because growing up I’d always eat until I couldn’t eat any more. It was a terrible habit.”

As well as being morbidly obese, Maria had polycystic ovary syndrome, reducing the chances of her having children, as well as “unbearable” weight-induced asthma and being borderline diabetic.

Such conditions meant she was depressed, which then led to her eating more.

Maria said she tried various diet plans, but found them confusing and difficult to follow.

Then, in 2015, she heard from a friend about calorie counting and decided to try it for herself.

Maria said: “I just needed to find a way to make it work for me. I started by writing down everything I ate but it wasn’t always easy to find and record calories accurately.”

Then she found an app called Nutracheck, which she said “just chimed” with her.

It meant rather than cutting food out, she ate in moderation and then started going to the gym two to four times a week.

“Soon enough after a few months I started seeing positive change, like my face getting a new shape. I got loads of compliments and soon met Graham, my boyfriend, on a dating site in September. By then I’d got down to just under 20st. Still a long way from where I wanted to be, but he loved me for who I was.”

She is now down to a size 14/16 from a 30/32 and although she is still 15st, her body composition is healthy.

Only surgery could fix her estimated two stone of loose skin.

Maria’s continued persistence has even seen her climb Pen y Fan, something she said she “couldn’t have dreamed of doing” prior to her weight loss.

She added: “It’s given me such an amazing boost of confidence. Previously, if I’d seen someone I knew from school when out shopping, I would try and hide from them. Now, I want them to see me.”