Tracy, who lives in Purley on Thames, near Reading, Berkshire, said she had been “unhappy with her weight for a long time” having always struggled with it.
She said the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic and her high-stress job as a VP of global customer service for a pharmaceutical company contributed to her weight gain.
“Due to the amount of time spent on aeroplanes and in hotels, I was eating a lot of rich, unhealthy foods,” she said. “I was working 12-hour days and I also wasn’t doing any physical activity or looking after myself at all.”
A trip to her doctor and some blood tests revealed that Tracy was pre-diabetic and had raised blood pressure.
At 5ft 1in and weighing 15st 8lbs, the doctors considered Tracy too heavy for her height. Her GP suggested she start taking blood pressure medication immediately and explained that her lifestyle needed to change in order to reverse her pre-diabetes.
That’s when Tracy decided to make a dramatic change to her life. She said: “I knew I was eating poorly and not exercising. I knew I had to make a very big change to my life because I was scared that if I didn’t do something drastic, it might have some serious long-term consequences.”
Tracy had heard of the late Michael Mosley’s The Fast 800 programme but decided to research the science behind the diet before she started. The programme’s community-led focus and the support network available resonated with Tracy.
Before starting the diet, she spoke to her doctor, as she was aware that a calorie-restrictive diet doesn’t work for everyone. However, her GP encouraged her to try it.
Tracy began The Fast 800 programme in May 2024 after a family holiday and after deciding to retire. She signed up for the programme’s free seven-day trial and gave it her all.
Four weeks into the diet, Tracy’s husband suffered a heart attack, which caused him to have a stent fitted. The sudden health scare was a wake up call for the couple and reaffirmed to Tracy why she wanted to do the programme.
“He decided that he would start eating the healthy food that I was preparing, and whilst he didn’t fully commit to the programme, I hoped it would help with his overall health,” she said.
Tracy admitted that, at times, she found the diet “a little challenging,” but her strong will and her husband’s support saw her lose an impressive 5lbs in the first week alone.
One item Tracy decided to cut out was alcohol. She explained: “We’d noticed that during lockdown, our alcohol consumption had increased, along with the rest of the country. Cutting out alcohol was pretty easy for me, and I treated myself occasionally with zero-alcohol, gin and tonic.”
The more weight Tracy lost, the more energy she had, so she started exercising. She began by following the programme’s exercises at home before joining a local leisure centre and re-establishing her love of running and swimming. She now regularly runs 10km, swims two to three times a week, visits the gym once a week and does an aerobics class once a week.
“I exercise six out of seven days a week now and have to tell myself to have that all-important rest day,” she said. “I even take my gym kit when I go on holiday now.”
Since starting the programme, Tracy’s blood pressure has returned to normal and is just one percent away from being a non-pre-diabetic and in the normal range.
So far, Tracy has lost an impressive 4 stone 7lbs in total and nearly 30 percent of her body weight. She is just 8lbs away from her target weight and a healthy BMI. Her husband has lost nearly two stone just by following a healthy diet.
She also recently went shopping at Marks and Spencer and picked up a size 12 to try, which fitted perfectly. Tracy used to go to the back of the rail to look for larger sizes, such as size 18 or size 20, but now she’s a size 12.
“I couldn’t believe it when it fitted,” she said. “I can’t remember that ever happening to me other than when I was in my 20s or early 30s.”
She now finds she has more choices in clothing shops, as many stores don’t stock larger sizes.
Tracy said one of her favourite elements of the programme is the automated shopping lists, which she claims are “so easy and convenient to use”.
She also said the recipes are delicious and very easy to follow. She said she has learned more about food and nutrition because of the articles that are sent to her every week.
She added: “The Easy Chilli is amazing, and I make the soups twice a week. The egg curry is delicious, and the chicken and chorizo casserole is also a favourite.”
