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Yo-yo dieting mom, 40, loses 11th place in just 16 months after nearly dying of a ‘hidden killer’ condition that left her unable to walk
A mother has recounted how she lost 11 stones after nearly dying of a “hidden killer” condition, prompting her to make a big lifestyle change.
Jo O’Farrell, 40, had struggled with her weight for 10 years as she turned to convenience and comfort food, with Indian take-out meals and regular McDonald’s breakfasts.
The mother, from Southport, had tried to lose the extra weight with a series of diets, but had been prone to ‘yo-yo dieting’ and never managed to stick to it.
It was in 2021 that things took a turn and Ms. O’Farrell was left fighting for her life.
He had contracted sepsis from an undetected sinus infection, a life-threatening reaction often referred to as “hidden death.”
Jo O’Farrell, 40, had struggled with her weight for 10 years when she turned to food for convenience and comfort, with Indian take-out meals and regular McDonald’s breakfasts.
The mother, from Southport, had tried to lose her extra weight with a series of diets, but had been prone to “yo-yo dieting” and never managed to stick to it.
This pushed the mother to make a significant change in her lifestyle and go from 23rd to 12th place in just 16 months.
She said: ‘I got really sick about two years ago, I didn’t know what was happening to me. I felt weak walking around the house and 12 hours later I was in an ambulance heading to the hospital.
‘My body was completely shutting down. They had to put a line on my neck to give me an adrenaline rush.
Ms O’Farrell said her partner, who works in a hospital, instantly recognized her symptoms and pushed her to Southport Hospital, where she was admitted in critical condition.
He said that when he began to respond to treatment, he had to learn to walk again.
“I had an epiphany that ‘I’m not going to die here with these people.’ Something inside me gave me the courage to improve. That was a huge wake-up call,’ she said.
Doctors told the mother that her weight had an impact on her ability to fight the infection. This inspired her to finally find a diet that worked for her: the Cambridge 1:1.
As a result, she went from a size 26 to a size 14 in clothing.
Looking back on life before her weight loss, Ms O’Farrell said: ‘I wasn’t really taking care of myself. I wasn’t really going to leave the house in case I ran into someone from when I was skinnier.
“I was dodging people in supermarkets, wearing caps, hiding from the world. It’s like I’ve been brought back from the dead.
‘Suddenly I can do the things I’ve seen everyone else do for ten years. I go out to eat or have coffee and I don’t think everyone is looking at the fact that I’m dangling from the chair.
‘I can go to the park, go to the swings with my children. I’m joining in instead of starring from the corner. It’s like they got their mother back.
It was in 2021 that things took a turn and Ms. O’Farrell was left fighting for her life.