Liz Coates THIS summer while the children are on holiday mum-of-four Cara Brown can join in the fun rather than sit on the sidelines because of her weight.The 30-year-old from South Walsham admits she cooked for an army and dished out huge portion sizes but now she sticks to a WeightWatchers eating plan rather than a diet, always going for the low fat option.

Liz Coates

THIS summer while the children are on holiday mum-of-four Cara Brown can join in the fun rather than sit on the sidelines because of her weight.

The 30-year-old from South Walsham admits she cooked for an army and dished out huge portion sizes but now she sticks to a WeightWatchers eating plan rather than a diet, always going for the low fat option.

And now she can run rings round her four children - rather than the other way round - slip into a size 10 dress, and fit in a new job as well.

It was trying clothes on in a shop that triggered her desire to slim down from her biggest ever weight of 15st 3lbs to 9st 10lbs

And since joining the Caister group she quickly became slimmer and fitter dropping from a size 24 to an eight or 10 - and she has gained enough confidence to fill her old baggy trousers 10 times over.

She combined her new food routine with walking to school and pre-school in her home village of South Walsham up to three times a day and has enjoyed the encouragement of her husband who bought her flowers for the first time ever when she reached her goal weight.

Losing weight, she said had given her the energy to leap off the sofa and take charge of the children and the confidence to get a job at Fairhaven nursery school.

Getting compliments from the children aged seven, four, two and eight months took some getting used to but the effect on the household had been worth every turned-down treat.

She said: “I have always been overweight off and on but I was quite slim until I had the children.

“With each pregnancy I put on five stone and lost a couple afterwards and there was never much incentive to lose any more because I knew I wanted more children.

“But after Ebony something clicked and I did not want to be hiding in my husband's T-shirts all the time and I did not want my children to be bullied because of my size.

“A lot of it was about changing what I have been eating. Now I am making my own bread everything like rice and pasta is brown. It did not go down too well to start with but now we are all eating it.

“The children know I can run round after them and they do not give me nearly so much grief!

“The icing on the cake for me was when my eldest son told me I looked like a princess and my second eldest son that I looked really pretty. That's good enough for me!”

To find out about your nearest WeightWatchers group call 08457 123000.