Overweight mum told she 'would not make 40' loses 12 stone and is fit in her 50s

Sarah Jane Clarke is the "fittest she's ever been" after her GP warned her she was "killing herself" by eating so much

The 51-year-old from Swindon has lost 12 stone since she visited her doctor in 1997 and cured her "addiction to food" which was caused by a toxic relationship. At her heaviest, Sarah was around 22 stone.

Now, after 16 years of "step by step" progress, Sarah Jane is a happy size ten and "fitter and stronger" than ever before.

Talking to South West News Agency, Sarah said: "People don't realise that a food addiction is just like any other addiction. It's not recognised at all. I always felt alone when I was younger. I had a woman's body really young and I had done WeightWatchers and the Cambridge diet by the time I was 14.

"I had such low self-esteem and I started using food in a toxic way. I was in an abusive relationship too so I turned to food. I would go to bed and eat in secret. I felt great shame around it."

After a visit to the GP at the age of 26, Sarah's world was shaken to its core when the doctor warned that she "wouldn't see 40" if she carried on her lifestyle.

She said: "The GP was very harsh and said I needed to stop eating because I was killing myself. She said I wouldn't see 40 if I carried on like this. I walked out crying. I can honestly say if there had been a bridge I would've jumped off it. I was so depressed. I was suicidal.

Although she was tempted to once again "numb the pain" with food, Sarah Jane started her weight loss journey from that day. She began taking small steps to change her lifestyle.

Sarah Jane Clark's secret to losing 12 stone

At first Sarah just walked for 30 minutes a day at night as she was too afraid of being ridiculed by others for her size in the daylight. She then made small food swaps - such as switching chips for jacket potatoes.

Once she had reached 15 stone, Sarah Jane began going to the gym. She now focuses on eating non-processed foods, drinking four litres of water a day and looking after her mental health.

Sarah, who is also an NHS mental health worker, said: "After two weeks of just walking I noticed I felt so much better. That spurred me on to making more change. I would say the most important thing I did to lose the weight was focusing on the basics.

"I drink four litres of water a day and eat store cupboard whole ingredients rather than processed food. I also had to focus on my mental health as addiction is mental as well. I had counselling, do a lot of meditation and practise self-care."