Beck, 33, weighed more than 19stone at her heaviest and was spending £500 a month on her habit
A woman who spent £4.2k in one year on “hangover takeaways” lost 9st without jabs by making two changes. Beck Lowe, 33, weighed 19st 5lbs and was a size 26 at her heaviest. She became addicted to alcohol to cope with work stress and an illness in the family and would drink three cans of cider daily and a bottle of wine every other day – spending £150 a week on alcohol and £350 a month on takeaways to cure her daily hangovers.
But after seeing her reflection in a shop window and feeling “ashamed” she got the kick she needed to join her gym and change her eating and drinking habits. She went cold turkey and ditched the booze to cut down on calories – by using a meal subscription service to cook healthy meals and running or walking four to five times a week.
Now a year sober and a slender 10st 5lbs and a size six, she feels “like a new person.” Beck, a reporting analyst from St John’s, Worcestershire, said: “I was struggling with depression, and I put on a lot of weight when I was living on my own.
“I saw myself in the reflection while walking down the street, and it was a real wake-up call for me. I needed to change something. I lost nine stone and five pounds in a year through my own willpower, calorie control, exercise, and quitting drinking.
“I used spirituality to work through my addiction, and had to walk away from my old life, my relationship and home, to put my wellbeing first. But it was so worth it. I spent a lot of time by myself, and it gave me a lot of time to reflect on myself and trust in myself that I can go ahead and achieve my goal of losing weight.”
Beck had always enjoyed alcohol but started to drink daily and during the day in July 2023 to cope with the stress of an illness in the family. At her worst she would drink three cans of cider a day and a bottle of wine every other night – and a bottle of absinthe on the weekends.
She would spend £600-a-month on booze – including £150 to £200-a-month on drinks on nights outs. Beck said: “I was struggling with alcoholism and depression, which I have overcome. I would have a bottle of wine a week, two bottles of wine a week. I then would have one beer after work, so I was drinking a lot.
“I would also drink absinthe, which I’m embarrassed to say. It escalated while I was at home, and I became very lazy. I used to work from home in my bed because I was that lazy, and in the evenings I would casually drink wine in my bed while watching TV, which is why I realised that I needed to do something about my drinking.”
Beck originally cut out her drinking because of the calories and as she wanted to lose weight. She said: “I initially started the weight loss journey and stopped drinking because of the calories and then when I stopped I completely quit drinking.
“My diet was poor. It was takeout all the time. It tended to be a chippy tea, McDonald’s, or pizza. I would eat less during the day so I can eat more at the end of the day. When I started the weight loss journey, I think it started easily because the novelty of it was exciting and new. I was really determined, but there were peaks and troughs during the process.
“It was really hard if I were around people who weren’t encouraging. I would be blunt with people to say that I was addicted to both drinks and food. Now, I use a subscription service that delivers healthy meals, which has been fantastic.
“I started a calorie deficit, which initially seemed the easy option. I would begin eating between 1200 and 1400 calories daily – but that meant I could still eat whatever. Going to the gym used to be a really scary thing for me, but now I look forward to going to the gym after work and going for a run, which I thought I would never say. “
Beck is preparing for a three-day charity walk in France to raise money for Liaison Amani Children’s charity – to help take children off the streets in Africa. Beck said: “We are starting in rural France and walking 26km to 28km for three days to raise money for kids who are homeless in Kenya.”
Beck is now feeling “confident” and “amazing” in her new body. She said: “I didn’t feel like I fitted in with everyone else because I was bigger, but I’m now at a size where it is socially accepted, and I now feel like I’ve gained confidence.
“One moment that will stick out to me since I’ve lost all this weight is when I met someone that I knew, and they walked past me and didn’t realise it was me. They texted me straight after asking if they walked past me which was a real pinch me moment.”
