The shock death of Michael Mosley, whose legacy lives on through his transformative healthy eating advice, was the push Lorraine Kerr needed to finally change her bad habits
The tragic news of Michael Mosley’s death this time last year forced Lorraine Kerr to put change into action. She had always been a fan of the TV doctor and heard about his popular diet plan two years ago, but was stuck in a rut of emotional eating.
It was in June 2024 when the 55-year-old returned home from Greek-island hopping that sparked the start of a new journey of health and fitness. She too had been holidaying in Symi, the very same picturesque island where Dr Mosley had been staying and subsequently died.
The health guru, known for popularising the 5:2 diet, was found dead in a rocky area of Agia Marina on June 5. He had said goodbye to his wife, Clare Bailey, at the beach before going alone on a two-mile walk, having left his phone at the hotel.
Michael, 67, had taken a wrong turn and became lost. Police said he died of natural causes, and an inquest last December concluded his death was “most likely attributable either to heat stroke (accidental) or non-identified pathological cause”.
The shock news made Lorraine, who weighed 14-and-a-half stone and is now more than six stone lighter, want to honour the medic’s lasting legacy. “I first heard about The Fast 800 by listening to Dr Michael Mosley’s podcast about two years ago,” she told the Mirror.
“I’d already put on a lot of weight and thought the plan would be a sustainable option for me, but at that point I wasn’t ready to do anything. I’ve always been an emotional eater, and after losing both my mother and sister in a very short space of time, I found myself turning to sugary foods. It took a toll on my health and my GP said it had put me on the path to pre-diabetes.”
She added: “When the news broke about what had happened to him, it kind of galvanised me to stop dithering…and in a way I felt like I wanted to honour him and all the work he and his team had done.” She began with The Very Fast 800 – the programme’s most rapid weight loss approach, which involves up to 12 weeks of eating two to three Mediterranean-style meals each day, totalling approximately 800 – 900 calories per day.
In those first 12 weeks, she dropped to 12 stone 5lbs. Today, she is just 6lbs away from her goal weight of 8 stone 4lbs. Much of that weight loss, says Lorraine, is the result of a complete change in her eating habits.
A typical day of eating might have been an extra-large Danish pastry from a bakery at the end of her road, lots of coffee with cream and artificial sweeteners, a steak pie and a packet of crisps for lunch, plus several chocolate bar snacks or biscuits throughout the day and more coffee.
Dinner was likely to be pizza or spaghetti bolognese – albeit homemade, as both Lorraine and her husband Nick enjoy cooking. However the new diet inspired Lorraine to embrace a lot more vegetables, particularly greens that she doesn’t particularly enjoy.
“I found the first 12 weeks difficult at first,” she said. “I was very hungry but absolutely determined and I knew there was an end to the very low calorie restriction. The galvanisation really helped me to get through it.
“I always loved the kale recipes, in particular the Harissa Greens and Halloumi, which featured largely during my 12 weeks and since. I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, but I absolutely love it.” Typical meals for Lorraine now that she has moved onto The Fast 800’s maintenance approach – The Way of Life – include baked oats, pears and walnuts for breakfast, plenty of Greek yogurt, different kinds of salad for lunch, and healthier evening meals that might include oily fish, meatballs or even vegetarian selections.
If she’s on the go, she’ll make use of pre-prepared meals such as The Fast 800 Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Protein Bars. Perhaps the biggest motivation for embracing her new lifestyle permanently is the huge improvement in IBS symptoms. “The amazing thing was that within three days of starting the programme, my irritable bowel syndrome, which I’d suffered from for a couple of years, had vanished, and it’s never returned.”
Lorraine now believes her problems were as a result of consuming too many artificial sweeteners. “This isn’t scientific, but as a test I reintroduced some artificial sweeteners and within two to three days the symptoms came back and were quite severe.
“When I stopped eating the sweeteners, the symptoms vanished again. I tried the same thing one more time to check and the symptoms returned straightaway and disappeared again as soon as I stopped…I’ve not had one day of IBS since I stopped eating artificial sweeteners after reintroducing them briefly.”
Lorraine, who takes the Pre + Probiotic supplement, has also seen other health improvements. Her fibromyalgia – long-term condition that involves widespread body pain – symptoms have improved along with back problems caused by Coccydynia – permanent inflammation of the coccyx. “I used to get explosions of pain; sometimes so horrific I needed morphine. I haven’t had one since around the six month mark, so my weight loss has really helped with that too.”
Alongside her healthier eating, Lorraine also began regular exercise. She started slowly, five days a week with resistance training, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training, which comprises fast-paced exercise in short bursts) and Pilates. “My fitness was very poor and I was struggling to walk anywhere because of my weight.
“I’m only 5ft and 1.5 inches with a very slight frame, so that was a lot of weight to be carrying around on a small person. It was really hard going just to do the basic level, but I lost quite a bit of weight in those first two weeks, which gave me the psychological push and my sleep improved too.”
She now swims in the sea regularly and finds the 15 minute walk to and from the beach – including a steep hill on the way home, easy. “I’m walking really quickly now. My body feels clearer and brighter. There are so many benefits,” she says.
Lorraine is now adamant that the dramatic changes both to her body shape and health are not something she wants to reverse. “It’s had a massive impact on my wellbeing and health, so I’m really looking to make this a way of life because the changes have been so good. That’s the whole point, isn’t it?!”
“I will be sailing past Symi at the end of next week so will give a silent nod to Dr Mosley and his lovely family – I can say I did it, I feel great, thank you.”