Karen was so overweight she was diagnosed with a heart condition and her cardiologist said she was at risk of dying
A 60-year-old woman who was so overweight that a doctor told her her her life was in danger lost 12.5 stone in a year, but not before putting some more on. Karen Bates was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and her cardiologist told her that losing weight was crucial for her survival.
Karen, who lives in Nottinghamshire, found herself gaining more weight despite the diagnosis, and by April 2023, she knew it was time for a change. “We’d been out for my husband’s birthday and I was looking at some photos taken on the night,” Karen said. “I looked awful, with a swollen face, my ‘big’ dress was tight and I just felt terrible. I knew I had to do something big and to hurry up about it too.”
Karen, a night support worker in a children’s care home, had tried every diet: WW, Slimming World, Atkins, Keto, high-fibre – and although each one had been somewhat successful, nothing seemed to work long-term. She started following Natalie Carter, a 1:1 diet consultant on Instagram. “I’d been following Nat on Instagram and saw her weight loss journey and that she was a consultant for the 1:1 diet plan by the Cambridge Diet,” Karen said. “I’d decided I needed to do something different and drastic. I spoke to my husband, and at first I thought it was expensive but when you compared it to some of the things I’d been eating and drinking, it wasn’t.
“I chatted to Nat and she felt she could help me. I wanted to lose at least two stone by July when I had my next cardiologist appointment. I thought ‘well, even if it gives me a boost, I might be able to move some weight’. I just felt I had to do something to take away all temptation and to be really strict. Let’s face it, eating sensibly certainly hadn’t worked!” Karen began the new plan on April 21, 2023 and the results were immediate. “I lost 11.75lb in my first week – nearly a stone,” Karen reveals.
“I was stunned and I couldn’t believe how easy I’d found it. All the food being really quick and easy to do took away the ‘I was so hungry I couldn’t wait!’ ideas, and after a couple of days I didn’t even feel hungry. I started to feel good about myself, for the first time in a long time. In the first month I lost two stone, and my clothes were not only feeling loose, but some were too big. I’d never lost weight this quickly and the more I lost the better I felt and easier I found it. By the time I saw my consultant in the July I’d lost four stone.
“She was really pleased with me and encouraged me to carry on with whatever I was doing as it was working. At first people didn’t really say much, because let’s face it, I was always on a diet, losing weight then gaining it again, the true definition of a yo-yo dieter. In July I walked past a colleague who suddenly said, ‘bloody hell, have you lost weight?’
“When I told her how much she was stunned and said she could really see and couldn’t believe she’d not noticed before. It was the start of lots of lovely comments and encouragement from family, friends and colleagues, which boosted my confidence and spurred me on.” A year later, Karen had lost over 12 stone, regaining not just her health but her confidence and energy. For the first time in years, she felt healthy, mobile, and full of life. Karen’s cardiologist said: “You’re keeping yourself alive by losing weight: you’ve saved your own life.”
Karen was becoming more mobile, and she started to feel better than she had in years. She was also enjoying things she never thought she would. She loved buying clothes and trying new styles that once felt impossible. She could tuck tops into her trousers, wear full-length boots, have towels wrap around her in hotels, and even wear hospital gowns without feeling exposed. She could get in and out of the bath with ease.
“My target originally was 13 stone but then I thought I’d try to lose a bit more,” Karen adds. “I’ve now lost 12.5 stone and I am trying to lose more. “I’m in control now; I can go out with friends and family for meals knowing how to eat, recognising when I’m full and often leave half a meal, and just take it home. At first my family found it really difficult going out for a meal, as I would have a meal replacement bar instead, but as I felt more confident that I could make the right choices, I would chose a salad, or a dish high in protein, knowing that I had to learn to eat differently but also to enjoy time out with my family too.
“I feel great, I have more energy and I wear clothes in a 14 to 16, whereas in 2023 I was wearing a 24 to 26. I never thought I would own a pair of size 14 jeans. But it’s not all about sizes and the scales. It’s being able to put the towel round me in a hotel, or the towelling robe, to get in and out of a bath without the fear that I might not be able to get out or fitting in a turnstile at the football.
“No scale victories are far more important now, of course I still want them to go down, but I am in a far better place than I ever imagined I could be. Also I’d like to mention the amazing Nat who inspired me to start this journey, who has backed me all the way, giving advice, listening and just being a beautiful human being who has helped me change my life and has given me the opportunity to help other people to start their weight loss journeys. “She was my weight loss consultant and she is now a fabulous friend!”
