Woman who has lost over 40% of body weight urges others to avoid fad diets this January

A woman who has lost more than 40% of her body weight after going from binge eating to sticking to a calorie deficit has urged people to avoid fad diets this January and focus on sustainable lifestyle changes.

Daisie Jenson, a 28-year-old street works assurance manager from Dartford, Kent, always struggled with her weight. But after going through a period of increased anxiety, she put on five stone (31.75kg) between 2019 and 2023, reaching 21 stone 8lb (136.96kg).

Daisie, who stands at 5ft 9.5in (176.5cm) tall, had an obese BMI of 44, and wore size 20 clothes. After realising she could barely fasten her seatbelt on a flight in summer 2023, she decided to make a change.

The following month, she began The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan and lost around one stone per month by sticking to a calorie deficit – consuming fewer calories than the body burns.

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

Daisie, who lives with her partner, Joe, 27, an IT technician, told PA Real Life: “I’ve tried fad diets before and I’d end up losing a stone then falling off the wagon.

“For the new year I think it’s important to focus on proper lifestyle changes they can stick to.”

After “always” struggling with her weight and being nicknamed a “whale” at school, Daisie 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 binge and emotional eating.

She explained: “I was definitely suffering quite badly from anxiety to the point where I’d lock myself away.

“I didn’t want to go to any social plans, even silly things like walking to the local shop, I’d overthink it and worry that I was going to see someone, and they were going to see how much weight I’d put on.

“It was all really in my head – I would stop myself from seeing my friends or going on nights out, because I was so anxious about the way I looked and how I felt about myself.”

At the time, Daisie was eating one takeaway a day from Monday to Friday, followed by takeaways for almost every meal at the weekend.

She also said she would “secretly eat”, consuming multiple packs of biscuits and family-sized bags of crisps in a week.

Daisie reached her heaviest weight in summer 2023, weighing 21 stone 8lb (136.96kg) and wearing a size 20.

She added: “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.”

In June 2023, while on a flight to Tenerife, Daisie 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.

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.

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,” Daisie 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.”

Daisie 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, Daisie 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.

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

After several months, she was losing an average of one stone (6.35kg) a month.

To further support her weight loss, Daisie 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.

Daisie 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!”

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.”

For support visit: www.nhs.uk/conditions/obesity and www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk.