Jasmin Harman, 30, ballooned to 21st 11lbs after scoffing down pizzas, Mcdonald’s and KFCs each night after work. The self-confessed “Takeaway Queen” said she would not feel like cooking after a long shift so resorted to eating cheap junk food instead
A chef who was hooked on takeaways has turned her life around after losing an impressive 12 stone in just nine months. Jasmin Harman, who once tipped the scales at 21st 11lbs, would indulge in pizzas, McDonald’s and KFCs every night after work, earning herself the title of “Takeaway Queen”.
She admitted that she often didn’t feel like cooking after a long shift and would resort to cheap fast food instead. The turning point came when she felt “ashamed” looking at her reflection as she neared her 30th birthday in April last year.
Having been taunted at school for being overweight, she didn’t want to enter her thirties with the same issue. Jasmin also had aspirations of starting a family but was denied medical assistance for polycystic ovary syndrome due to her high BMI.
She decided to join her local Slimming World group and started attending Zumba classes, managing to lose weight through a combination of healthy eating and regular gym sessions. In a matter of months, Jasmin dropped from a size 26 to a slim size 10 and now maintains a healthy weight of 10 stone.
Now residing in Lincoln, Jasmin hopes to start a family with her husband Jamie, 30, following her remarkable weight loss journey. Jasmin, who is the head chef at a dementia care home, reflected: “Since being young I have always been on the larger side, I was bullied at school for being the fat kid. But the final straw for me was looking in the mirror one morning last year and being ashamed at what I saw.”, reports Lincolnshire Live.
Jasmin shared her weight loss journey, revealing the moment of realisation: “I was about to approach my 30 year milestone and I just thought ‘how has it come to this? ‘ I was very much a takeaway queen because I was cooking all day, we’d order anything that was cheap and available. We were hoping to start a family soon and needed help from the doctors as I had been diagnosed with PCOS a few years before.”
Admitting the struggle with fertility issues, she said, “We had gone through a lot of intensive diagnostics only to get a phone call saying that my BMI was too high. I didn’t feel the doctors were very supportive with the fertility side, they were just going to call us fat and overweight. So I knew I needed to give myself a kick up the bum if I ever wanted to start a family.”
Motivated to change, Jasmin joined Slimming World on her aunt’s recommendation and changed her eating habits drastically: “I was nervous at first but I soon realised everyone was in the same boat. The first month was pretty much following the healthy eating plan, and then from there I’ve added in more exercises. I’ve taken a bit of the cooking I know I can do and began doing it at home.”
Finding joy in movement, she beamed, “I’d always loved dancing but felt insecure about my size but as the pounds came off I grew in confidence. I haven’t stopped dancing since. I fell in love with Zumba and will continue to shimmy and shake. It’s an exercise that doesn’t feel like an exercise, it’s like going to a club.”
Jasmin shared that her previous diet was a haphazard affair of skipping breakfast and feasting on convenient snacks like crisps, sausage rolls and biscuits. She described their dinner orders as enough to “Jasmin said her diet beforehand would consist of skipping breakfast, and then feasting on quick beige foods like crisps, sausage rolls and biscuits. For dinner she said they would order enough to ‘feed a family’, focusing on cheap pizzas, KFC and McDonald’s.But to lose the weight Jasmin has switched to healthy overnight oats for breakfast, while her lunch is primarily pre-made salads and yoghourts. While dinner is either a twist on healthy slimming world recipes or equally healthy, high-protein meals. She now exercises for at least eight hours a week and spends more time walking her golden retriever and tending to her horse.Jasmin said: ” with choices centered around budget-friendly pizzas, KFC, and McDonald’s.
In pursuit of weight loss, she revamped her diet to include healthy overnight oats for breakfast, while lunch became a mix of pre-made salads and yoghurts. For dinner, she opted for healthy takes on slimming world recipes or high-protein dishes.
Besides an impressive commitment to at least eight hours of exercise weekly, she fills her time with walks alongside her golden retriever and looking after her horse.
Jasmin enthused: “I’ve started using the gym as a mental break. When life gets in the way, instead of turning to the cupboard, I go to the gym or walk the dog. I walk around with confidence and self-worth with my head held high.”
She also noticed a dramatic shift in her shopping experience, saying, “Now it’s also a lot easier to shop, beforehand it was very difficult to find anything flattering for my age group. I was very much online shopping. But now I can go to a normal shop for clothes – it has completely transformed my life.”
She reflected on her emotional growth too, adding, “I have learned to love myself again and no longer hiding in the shadows, quiet and alone, instead of pushing people away, I embrace every interaction. Sometimes I still can’t believe it.”
Jasmin’s Slimming World consultant, Rachel, chimed in with high praise for her journey: “Jasmin is such an inspiration to all the members and me personally.”
“Her determination and dedication are admirable and we are all so incredibly proud of her and her life-changing achievement.”
