A mother-of-five lost eight stone after two blood clots and premature labour left her in intensive care - and now makes £70k a year helping others improve their health.
Deborah Adams, 49, tipped the scales at 20st 8lbs but was determined to shift the pounds after she had to be resuscitated following a blood clot scare.
Her son, Cruz, seven, was born at 31 weeks, because of a blood clot on Deborah’s lung which forced her into premature labour.
Both Cruz and Deborah survived the ordeal, but Deborah vowed to lose weight after the scare.
A notorious snacker, she took up the Cambridge 1:1 plan and started gardening and walking. She has now slimmed down to 12-and-a-half stone and size 12 clothing.
Deborah, from Wallington, Surrey, said: “It was shocking. You’re pregnant and excited but suddenly it took completely the wrong turn.
“I was breathless, but even then, gasping for air, I didn’t realise the seriousness of the situation.
“I was scared for myself but I was scared for my baby; it was the fear of whether I am going to make it through the other side.
“I weighed in 20 stone and eight pounds. I was set on sticking to the plan.
“ICU had scared me and I was determined I didn’t want to end up back there.”
Deborah first tried out the 1:1 plan after she was unable to find a dress that would fit her for her wedding but had to pause the diet when she found out she was pregnant.
Three months into her pregnancy, Deborah developed a blood clot in her lung and fell severely ill.
At seven months pregnant, a second blood clot in her lung forced Deborah into premature labour and once born, her son, Cruz, was placed into special care and Deborah was moved to a high-dependency unit (HDU).
While in the HDU, the blood clot moved and Deborah had to be resuscitated.
Her husband, Paul, 53, spent the first weeks running back and forth between the two units.
During this very difficult period, Deborah gained eight stone and after being discharged she was determined to lose weight.
She’d been embarrassed at being weighed in a hospital corridor where she was told if she didn’t lose weight, she could have a heart attack.
Emotionally and physically wrecked, she barely recognised herself, was embarrassed about her appearance and as a result, did not take any mother and son photos as a new mum normally would.
‘’I started off doing a combination of meal replacements and 200-calorie meals that I would prepare myself,” she said.
“Quite quickly after starting on plan I began feeling myself coming back.”
Deborah previously worked in the corporate world running a trading team, and the stress of the job caused her to snack lots.
She said: “I was an emotional eater. I used to run a trading team. I would always have sweets and chocolates out of the drawer.
“I would eat four flakes a day. I could eat a whole coffee cake to myself, and have a drink when I get in; those sorts of habits.”
Deborah said the hardest challenge of her weight loss journey was maintaining what she had lost.
She said: “Losing weight is one thing, but keeping the weight off is different.
“When I felt stressed, instead of eating food I went for a walk.
“I started gardening, I fell in love with my garden, and I started listing to audiobooks when going out on walks.
“Diet-wise, protein, lots of veg and my carbohydrates keeping them really small and not the quantities that I used to.”
Deborah credits the 1:1 diet to changing her life, quitting her corporate job and becoming a weight loss consultant.
She said: “Having changed my life I started to think there must be other people like me who needed the same one-to-one support I received.
“I qualified as a consultant in September 2018 and worked only evenings and on weekends to begin with, in addition to my existing job.
‘’By January, I was earning more than I had done in my full-time managerial role of underwriting.
“As a part-time consultant, I was taking home £4,000 a month and by the time I was full-time, I was earning £70,000 a year.
“I decided to quit my job and pursue being a consultant.
‘’It worked so well for me. I had my son at home and we were able to spend so much more time together.”
Deborah’s Diet before
Breakfast: McDonald’s breakfast or canteen foodLunch: meal deal or takeawayDinner: Cheesy pasta, pizza, easy dishesSnacks: tea, biscuits, sweets, crisps, chocolate.
Deborah’s Diet after
Breakfast: Porridge with a piece of fruit or protein shakeLunch: Salad and fruitDinner: Switch out carbs, clean meats like chicken breast, prawns, lost of veg
