Healthy lunch ideas: Obese woman who ‘couldn’t wear shoes’ because of her size shares food swaps that helped her shed half her bodyweight

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “I started eating everything I wasn’t allowed, frying everything, like eggs and meat and snacking on crisps and chocolate.” open image in gallery Christine Burnell on the beach, pregnant with her second daughter, Claire, in 1987 Jumping to around 15st, while working full time and bringing up her two young children, Christine’s father, Reg Knight, a mechanic, was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer and died aged 57 in 1989. “He loved butter on toast and vegetables fried in butter, so when he died, I had a fridge full of it.” open image in gallery Christine Burnell, 59, with her partner, Declan McGuckin, 64, in Cyprus in 2010, with Christine wearing size 16 clothes A size 16 when John was taken from her in January 2007, Christine was left in an empty home, learning to cook for one, while adapting to an entirely different life. “If I went to do the school run and tried to walk, my feet would swell up because of the condition, which was exacerbated by my weight.” open image in gallery Christine Burnell on holiday for the Tour De France in July 2019, weighing 19st She added: “I couldn’t wear shoes for a long time, just flip flops.” Leaving nursing and becoming an assistant to a wedding planner in 2015, Christine’s feet improved with physio, but her health problems were far from over and in Spring of 2018 she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia – a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body. “I started going walking with my lovely friend Diane, going on long walks and enjoying it.” open image in gallery Christine Burnell, 59, with her partner’s daughters Clare Garman, 38, and Lisa McGuckin, 33, for the Queen’s Jubilee this year The weight started to fall off and by April this year Christine hit her target of 10st 8lb.