A mum of five who experienced a number of traumatic events in her life has lost eight stone - and plans to keep it off. With her weight having repeatedly fluctuated up to 19 stone as she comfort ate, the 42-year-old found her self snacking and piling on the pounds. Laura Finlow, from Milton Keynes, started to notice it after the tragic passing of her mum, Janice, who died of lung cancer in 2013 at the age of 57.
On top of this, Laura’s now-husband, James, 38, a civil servant, was diagnosed with leukaemia in the same week. Weighing around 15 stone at the time, the understandable stress and grief led 5ft 3in stay at home mum to “comfort eat” for years until she reached 19st and 5lb (123kg) in 2017, before she began eating a calorie-restricted diet of pre-prepared meals and meal replacement snacks. The mum of five to Eloise, 24, Harley, 20, Isobel, five, Edward, four, and Amelia, 19 months, lost eight stone in eight months and felt “fabulous” – but decided to pause the diet after suffering issues with her gallbladder.
By 2020, after having two children with James, she weighed 18st 7lb (124kg) and decided to do the same diet again, getting down to 11st 12lb by April 2021. However in December 2021, she had a miscarriage and decided to pause the diet to focus on grieving her loss. Laura says she was “traumatised” by her experience at Milton Keynes Hospital where she claims she waited six hours for scheduled surgery, was put into the men’s locker room for another t.