I Tried Diets and Weight-Loss Jabs With No Success — Then One Simple Eating Rule Helped Me Lose 12lbs in 6 Weeks

For most of my life, my weight has been a struggle I could never quite escape.

Two years ago, I reached my heaviest: 14st 11lb. At 5ft 4in, that put my body mass index (BMI) at 36, which is classed as obese — and I was painfully aware it was beginning to affect my health.

Blood tests later showed I was prediabetic and moving closer to type 2 diabetes. On top of that, I could barely stand to look at myself in the mirror.

I became an expert at hiding: slipping behind other people in photographs, disguising my shape under oversized smocks and relying on loose, baggy jeans.

Most Mondays began with the same promise: “This is the week everything changes.” I would commit to yet another diet, only for Friday to arrive with a bottle of prosecco and all my good intentions quietly abandoned.

At 45, and as a mother of one, I know my story is not unusual. Sleepless nights, a full-time freelance journalism career, the demands of raising a toddler and the first signs of perimenopause all meant my own wellbeing slipped to the bottom of the list.

I had spent years yo-yo dieting, but after I turned 40, every extra pound seemed harder to lose than the last.

Whenever I decided it was time to tackle my weight again, I would inevitably pin my hopes on the latest diet trend.

I’ve tried everything including the Atkins diet, Slimming World and Rosemary Conley’s Hip and Thigh Diet. I’d lose a few pounds but always found them again fairly quickly.

When I went on Mounjaro weight-loss jabs last year I lost 2st 5lb in six months, but stopped after developing inflammation in my gallbladder – a side effect of rapid weight loss.

The jabs helped me reach a weight I hadn’t seen in years. But instead of feeling healthier I felt exhausted. I had no energy, struggled to exercise and relied on vitamin B12 injections just to function.

And then, inevitably, I regained more than a stone – two-thirds of the weight I’d lost.

The idea is you stay fuller for longer while also improving gut and digestive health and boosting your immune system. It sounded ideal.

It was a wake-up call. I promised myself something had to change. I needed to lose weight differently with a lifestyle I could live with.

More than anything, I wanted my energy back so I could run around after my daughter Mia, four, without feeling permanently exhausted. 

Then earlier this year a friend mentioned nutritionist Emma Bardwell and her 30g Plan.

Her evidence-based philosophy is surprisingly simple: 30g protein every meal, 30g fibre a day and 30 different varieties of plant a week.

The only problem? I don’t enjoy cooking. So would it work for me?

Week One: Breaking the snack habit

Starting weight: 90.4kg (14st 2lb)

Preparation, I quickly learn, is key. Picking out recipes from Emma’s The 30g Plan Cookbook, I add ingredients to my online shop and note, with horror, that the cost has rocketed to nearly double.

Suddenly I’m buying ingredients such as flaxseeds and edamame beans and, much to my husband’s horror, £5 vanilla bean paste. But I’m committed now.

Usually my breakfast consists of two coffees and maybe, at a push, a protein bar. But instead I’m prepping pots of Greek yogurt and ingredients such as chocolate, pistachio nuts, banana and chia seeds.

Surprisingly it only takes 20 minutes to prepare several breakfasts at once, and they taste delicious. Lunches become just as straightforward. Butter beans and feta on sourdough with cottage cheese, peas and edamame quickly becomes a favourite because it requires very little effort.

But the biggest surprise is I am genuinely not hungry. Normally by 3pm I’m rummaging through the cupboards, but now I am not thinking about food at all. For someone who’s spent years battling cravings, that feels almost miraculous.

Week Two: Finding meals I actually enjoyed

Weight: 89.3kg (14st 0lb)

Stepping on the scales I’m absolutely thrilled to see I’m 2lb down despite not at all feeling like I’m dieting. The cooking is a faff but I decide on one rule – if a recipe takes more than 25 minutes, I’m not making it. Life is busy enough.

I also work out how to throw meals together myself that fit the plan. 

First, I get my head around what 30g of protein actually looks like. That’s roughly 200g of Greek yogurt, a chicken breast, a salmon fillet or 200g of tofu. 

It doesn’t have to come from one food either – cottage cheese, eggs, lentils and nuts can all be combined to reach the 30g target.

Then every meal needs a source of fibre to help me reach the 30g-a-day target, such as a bowl of porridge (5g), a slice of wholemeal bread (3g), half a tin of beans or lentils (8g), a cup of raspberries (8g), a tablespoon of chia seeds (5g) or a few almonds (4g). 

Combined with a range of vegetables to hit the 30 plants-a-week goal, meals feel huge and filling.

I start working with a trainer at AdMac Fitness who encourages me to increase my daily step count and introduces weekly weigh-ins to keep me accountable. 

Seeing numbers drop is satisfying, but the energy boost is better. After months of forcing myself through the day, I am finally wanting to exercise again.

Week Three: More energy and focus

Weight: 88.4kg (13st 13lb)

Something has shifted and I’m no longer constantly thinking about my next snack.

Instead I’m focusing on what I can add to hit my targets – a scoop of cottage cheese, more chia seeds or a dollop of yogurt.

Planning what to eat, rather than worrying what I can’t have, is a much healthier mindset. I’m also more focused and my concentration has improved.

By mid-afternoon I’d normally need a nap, but that isn’t happening. And overall I feel like myself again. My husband James comments I seem particularly cheerful, and I have to agree.

I’m looking forward to reformer pilates classes and have restarted the Couch To 5k running programme, which I abandoned during Covid when I became pregnant. I’m not gliding gracefully around the park but I’m out there, which feels like progress.

In the evenings I used to be really fatigued, but now I’m putting on a wash, cooking dinner and staying on the go until 9pm.

I also notice something else surprising: my weekly food bill has started to come down.

Stocking up on store cupboard essentials is expensive, but they last for ages.

And because I’m not constantly buying convenient meals, grabbing lunch to go or topping up on snacks every few days, I’m spending less overall.

Week Four: Better digestion

Weight: 87.6kg (13st 11lb)

Twice  a week I spend 20 minutes preparing breakfasts and lunches, and Emma’s dinner recipes mean there are usually leftovers too.

It saves both time and money, but more importantly it stops me reaching for convenient food simply because I’m busy.

I still snack, but it’s more mindful. Instead of demolishing half a packet of sweets I grab grapes, a banana or some Greek yogurt, which is a huge achievement.

And I’ve started looking at vegetables differently. Instead of treating them as an optional side, I make them the foundation of almost every meal. 

Tomatoes and spinach with an omelette at breakfast; peppers, cucumber and edamame at lunch; roasted broccoli, or courgettes with dinner. They count towards my 30 plants a week, add fibre and bulk out meals. I’m also less bloated and my digestion has improved – everything has become very regular.

I also start noticing I’m physically stronger during workouts.

The real test comes when I go to watch Take That perform and climb what feels like a million stairs to reach my seat. Normally I’d be puffing halfway up. Instead, I make it to the top thinking, ‘Actually, that wasn’t too bad.’ Little victories like that mean far more than another pound disappearing.

Week Five: Lighter and happier

Weight: 86.8kg (13st 9lb)

The weight is coming off steadily and my dresses feel looser.

The slower approach feels healthier than the rapid weight loss I had on Mounjaro.

My mood is improving and I’m less snappy as I’m sleeping better too. I always struggled to drop off at night, sometimes tossing and turning for hours. But I’m falling asleep more easily, which means mornings feel more positive.

Everything definitely feels like less of a struggle and I’m feeling genuinely relaxed about food.

I’m not panicking about going out for dinner, although I am making good choices. Rather than just going for a salad, I choose something that contains protein and fibre and will fill me up: a chicken dish or risotto that ticks boxes and won’t leave me hungry.

I want this to be real life, not another plan I abandon.

One meal never ruins your progress. I’ve spent years believing I either have to be perfect or I’ve failed completely. 

Finally, I realise it’s about what you do most of the time. For the first time in years, I feel like I’m learning habits I can actually stick to.

Week Six: More than just weight loss

Final weight: 85kg (13st 5lb)

By the end of six weeks I’ve lost 12lb. But what I’m proudest of is how I feel. I have more energy. I’m sleeping better. Exercise no longer feels like punishment.

Of course, I’d like to lose another 3st ideally. I’ve got a trip to Ibiza booked later this year and would love to feel more confident in a swimsuit. I’m still a size 18 and would like to be a 14.

I want to look in the mirror and smile instead of spotting everything I’d change. More importantly, I want Mia to grow up seeing a mum who’s healthy, active and full of energy.

Will I stay on the plan itself? Probably not strictly. But I feel comfortable knowing I can adapt my own meals using Emma’s basic tips. I’ll stick with yogurt for breakfast, edamame and cottage cheese for lunch, and cook the occasional meal from her book in the evenings.

I can simplify it because I understand what works and how to apply that. Six weeks ago, I thought I was starting another diet. Instead, I realise I have finally changed my relationship with food.

I’ve found a way of eating that fits around real life, keeps me full, fuels my workouts and doesn’t leave me feeling deprived.

After years of chasing quick fixes, that’s something I never thought I’d say. And it feels like the biggest achievement of all.