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Oct 25

Midwife halved her body weight and now looks so different – Nottinghamshire Live

Lose Weight Comments Off on Midwife halved her body weight and now looks so different – Nottinghamshire Live

A midwife who lost nearly 14 stone said she looked so unrecognisable that friends thought her husband was with another woman.

Charlie Adjetey said she has always been a little overweight but began to really pile on the pounds when she started training at west Londons Ealing Hospital in 1987 and found herself surviving on quick-fix junk food.

In time, the 52-year-old met and married her husband, retired RSPCA manager Adjei, 60, and welcomed two children, conservation worker Thomas, 24, and accountant John, 22.

All the while she was steadily gaining weight until she became 24 stone and a size 32.

After being warned by doctors that she needed to lose weight to lower her dangerously high blood pressure, Charlie, of Hanwell, west London, signed up to WW in January 2012.

Since then, she has worked hard to hit her current weight of 10st 12lb and looks so different following her transformation that pals initially thought her husband was having an affair.

Now a size 10, she said: Ive lost over half my body weight. It was a massive transformation.

People were so positive, but a few couldnt believe it was me literally.

Once, we were on a family walk and we bumped into some people who we had met previously whilst out and about.

She continued: They stopped and stared at me as if Adjei was with another woman. He had to turn to them and say, No its not a different woman its Charlie.

They couldnt believe it and were totally surprised by how much weight Id lost.

Throughout her teenage years, 5ft 6in Charlie estimates that she weighed around 13 stone.

Then, after she began nursing training in 1987, she found herself relying on junk food and takeaways to get her through her busy shifts which soon took its toll.

I think the biggest factor was the shift work. Theres no sense of routine when youre working the ward. You work nights and basically eat when you can, she explained.

Youre so exhausted by the time you get home theres no way youre going to cook a healthy meal from scratch.

She continued: Instead, Id eat biscuits and crisps during shifts, then pick up something like a pizza or curry on my way home.

By the time she met Adjei at a mutual friends house party in 1991, Charlie, who was immediately won over by her future husbands warm smile and laugh, weighed around 16 stone.

Bonding over their shared love of food, they soon became a couple, tucking into homemade Ghanaian curries and fried plantain.

And two years later, in 1993, they tied the knot, with Charlie, then 18 stone, wearing a size 28 wedding dress.

She said: I was already big when Adjei met me, so I knew it wasnt my figure he was marrying me for.

I had a bit of a, Who cares? mentality. We both loved food and would spend evenings with big portions of curry and rice in front of the telly.

By the time Charlie welcomed her second child John in 1998, she weighed more than 20 stone but, busy juggling work with raising her two boys, she did not even try to shift her baby weight.

I was just past caring, she continued. I was happily married with two sons. Why did I need to worry about what size I was?

It got to the point that I was simply never hungry. I was constantly grazing throughout the day.

She continued: The wards back then used to be littered with biscuits to give staff an energy boost, and Id pick on them all day.

If I finished a night shift, Id grab takeaway on the way home or Id tuck into some leftovers, which in hindsight could have fed two or three.

Sometimes I couldnt help but wonder what the patients must have thought, especially when I was advising them on diabetes and things like that.

Then, in October 2011, Charlies wake-up call came in the form of a grave warning from doctors following a routine opticians appointment.

She recalled: During my check-up, the optician noticed a build-up of pressure in the blood vessels at the back of my eyes.

I was referred to a doctor, who told me later that week I had high blood pressure.

She continued: I was told I really need to lose some weight before I caused any irreversible damage.

I looked him in the eye and promised to make losing weight my New Years resolution.

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Having avoided weighing herself for years and years, Charlie was shocked when she realised she had reached 24 stone.

According to the NHS, that meant her body mass index (BMI) was 53.9 more than twice the recommended range of 18.5 to 24.9 making her obese.

Having heard of WW through a friend who had lost five stone by following their weight loss and maintenance plan, she signed up in January 2012.

Following a point-based diet, Charlie was soon swapping biscuits and takeaways for porridge and grilled fish.

Losing an impressive 11lb in her first week, she said: After that first weighing, my eyes were set on the prize. I knew then I was in it for the long haul.

Setting herself a target weight of 11st 1lb, Charlie, who also now walks 10 miles a day, to and from work, was delighted to reach her goal in May 2014.

Since then, she has lost even more weight, and is now proudly maintaining her new size 10 figure.

There were a few blips along the way, like Christmas and holidays, but for the most part it was plain sailing, she said.

I have so much more energy and confidence now. Life is better in so many ways.

Most people are very positive when they see me, but some are adamant that I must have had weight loss surgery to lose so much, but Ive really not.

She continued: I just laugh it off though its a compliment!

By sharing her story, Charlie hopes to inspire others who have been struggling with their size.

She said: I make sure to have reminders of what I used to look like hanging about.

She concluded: I carry my old work pass around with me, as my background photo is of me at my heaviest.

Then, when Im thinking of indulging, Im reminded why I broke those habits in the first place.

Excerpt from:
Midwife halved her body weight and now looks so different - Nottinghamshire Live

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