After years of trying and failing with various fad diets, Daisie Jenson finally discovered a weight loss strategy that truly worked for her, enabling her to lose nearly half her body weight.

At her peak weight, 28-year-old Ms. Jenson, who is 5 feet 9.5 inches (176.5 cm) tall, tipped the scales at 21 stone 8 pounds (136.96 kg), resulting in a BMI of 44, categorizing her as obese.

Wearing size 20 clothes, she faced a turning point during a holiday in the summer of 2023 when she felt embarrassed by needing a seatbelt extender on the plane. This moment motivated her to commit to a healthier lifestyle.

Reflecting on her past struggles, Ms. Jenson shared, “I was battling severe anxiety, often isolating myself from the world.”

“Even mundane tasks, like walking to the local shop, became overwhelming as I worried about encountering someone who would notice my weight gain,” she explained.

“My concerns were largely mental, and they prevented me from socializing or enjoying nights out with friends because I was so anxious about my appearance and self-image.”

‘Every time I went to the doctors, for something like tonsillitis, it would always come back to my weight – that was always really frustrating.

‘It might have been my overthinking and a bit of anxiety, but I just felt like the odd one out in public – I’d get sort of looks across the street.’

Daisie Jenson before she lost 40 percent of her body weight

Ms Jenson has since lost nine stone

Ms Jenson had always struggled with her weight, and was even cruelly nicknamed ‘Whale’ at school, but she saw her weight increase significantly between 2019 and 2023.

During that period, she gained around five stone (31.75kg), going from 16 stone (101.6kg) to 21 stone (133.36kg), as a result of binging and emotional eating.

Ms Jenson ate one takeaway a day from Monday to Friday, followed by takeaways for almost every meal at the weekend, and would ‘secretly eat’, often consuming multiple packs of biscuits and family-sized bags of crisps.

She was trapped in a vicious cycle. Her anxiety fuelled her binge eating, which made her gain more weight, and in turn become more anxious, but she had been desperate to get a grip on her size before that fateful flight but diets never stuck. 

In June 2023, while on a flight to Tenerife, Ms Jenson realised she could barely fasten her seatbelt, and at that moment, ‘something clicked’, and she decided to make a change.

That summer, her GP also warned her that she was at risk of having a heart attack due to her weight.

In July 2023, she began The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan, a tailored weight-loss programme that provides one-to-one consultant support, and began to lose around one stone per month by sticking to a calorie deficit – consuming fewer calories than the body burns. 

She started the plan, with her consultant’s guidance, by having four nutritionally-complete meal replacement products a day – such as bars, porridges, smoothies and shakes.

Looking ahead, Miss Jenson is confident she will keep the weight off

Miss Jenson used to eat in secret

Ms Jenson says her confidence, mental health and entire outlook on life have been transformed

According to the NHS, there is no single rule that applies to everyone, but to lose weight safely and sustainably at a rate of 0.5 to 1kg per week, most people are advised to reduce their energy intake by around 600 calories a day.

For most men, this means consuming no more than 1,900 calories per day, and for most women, no more than 1,400 calories per day.

‘I was quite worried about it at the start, considering I’d probably been consuming God knows how many calories a day, so going right down to 800 was difficult to begin with,’ she said, adding that she ‘adjusted’ to the plan in time.

‘Everything was grab and go so I couldn’t overthink what I was eating and it was just so convenient – I think I found working out calories and everything so hard on other diets.’ 

Now weighing 12 stone 10.5lb (80.96kg) and wearing a size 14, Ms Jenson said her confidence, mental health and entire outlook on life have been transformed.  

She said: ‘For the new year I think it’s important to focus on proper lifestyle changes they can stick to.’

Miss Jenson also reduced her alcohol intake, opting for the occasional spirit while avoiding higher-calorie drinks such as wine and beer.

After five weeks on the plan, she lost just over one stone (6.35kg) and progressed to the next phase, which involved three meal replacement products alongside a low-calorie evening meal, mainly consisting of vegetables and protein.

She also ensured she drank four litres of water a day and attended personal training sessions

For convenience, her evening meal was often a salad or a calorie-controlled ready meal.

To further support her weight loss, she also ensured she drank four litres of water a day and attended personal training sessions.

She now weighs 12 stone 10.5lb (80.96kg), wears a size 14, and has an overweight BMI of 26.

Since losing weight, she now ‘enjoys shopping’ after years of being limited in what she could buy on the high street because of her size.

She also believes her mental health has improved significantly, along with her ‘attitude to life’.

She explained: ‘A lot of people have said how much more confident I seem and my anxiety is a lot better, my mind is a lot quieter.

‘I was getting back pain from walking before and now that has gone, and doctors have said I have a higher chance of being able to have children now, even with my PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).

‘I used to do a 9-5 admin job but now I go up and down the country, training up to 40 or 50 people – there are too many ways my life has changed since losing weight to name!’

A holiday to Tenerife changed her life 

 In November 2025, Daisie won Transformation of the Year at The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan awards.

Daisie said: ‘It was actually really emotional – I cried at different points throughout the day – it’s a day that I will remember forever.’

Looking ahead, Daisie is confident she will keep the weight off and hopes to lose a few more pounds before focusing on a long-term maintenance plan.

To others wanting to make a change, she said: ‘You need to change your lifestyle and know it can’t really be a temporary change but I think it’s also really important to take it one day at a time and don’t start worrying about how long it’ll take to lose weight.

‘Sometimes I think it’s better not to rush it, and just enjoy feeling better and enjoy your new life – it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.’

A Binge Eating Disorder is when a person eats a large amount of food in a short amount of time, and may feel like they can’t control how much or what they are eating. 

Research from NHS inform suggests 1 in 25 people across the UK experience symptoms of binge eating disorder (BED).  

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