- Justine Forrest, 42, a self confessed 'foodaholic' tipped the scales at 28st
- She started baking to avoid shame of buying cakes from shops
- Cut her calories from 6,000 a day to the recommended 2,000
- Now has a career of selling her cakes and brownies
By Katy Winter
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An overweight cook who started baking to avoid the shame of being seen buying cakes in public has lost 14 stone and made a career out of her new hobby.
Mother of three Justine Forrest, 42 and a self-confessed 'foodaholic', tipped the scales at 28 stone and became so obese she was unable to stand for more than ten minutes at a time and was laughed at by passers-by in the street.
But despite being highly commended about the cakes she was making - including a thumbs up from the late restaurant critic Michael Winner - Justine vowed to shed the pounds fearing she might not live long enough to see her children grow up.
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Justine Forrest has lost an incredible 14 stone to drop from a size 34 (left) to a svelte size 14 (right)
The self-confessed 'foodaholic' has dropped the weight despite making a career out of selling her cakes and brownies
Justine started on her own healthy eating regime, walked for exercise and cut her calories from 6,000 a day to the recommended 2,000
She started on her own healthy eating regime, walking for exercise and cutting her calorie intake from 6,000 a day to the recommended 2,000.
Now she is half her original body weight and her dress size has shrunk from a 34 to a healthier size 14.
She still bakes brownies and cakes but sells them instead of eating them herself.
Justine who lives with husband Chris, 43, a joiner, and their children, Millie, 16, Alex, 15, and Christopher, 12, revealed she still allowed herself the occasional treat in the form of her 'healthy' brownies made from locally sourced eggs.
Justine, from Longridge, Preston, said: 'I was over-eating and it became a habit. I would say I am a recovering foodaholic - it's an addiction.
'I lived in a bubble. It was ridiculous. I'd get up in the night and take painkillers and change my mattress because I couldn't sleep. I used to have back aches and my poor husband used to have to massage my back every day.
Justine seen here in 2008 when she was her heaviest, shrank from a size 34 for a size 14
Justine was inspired to sell her brownies after getting encouragement from Michael Winner when she appeared on his TV show Dining Stars
Justine's family, partner Chris and three children Christopher, 8, Millie 12, and Alex , 11, all joined in the healthy eating regime
Justine feared her obesity (left) would mean she would die of a heart attack before she slimmed down(right)
'People used to stare at me and laugh, but no one does that now. I can walk down the street without getting out of breath and more importantly I can play with my kids and get involved with them.
'People look at you just to laugh at you when you're big. Then never open doors for you or speak nicely to you. They just think that your thick and lazy.
Justine began comforting eating after Millie was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, and Christopher was born with half a heart. But she decided to shed the pounds in the summer of 2008 after suffering really bad pains in her chest and struggling to breathe lying down in bed.
Justine said: 'I couldn't even stand up for 10 minutes let alone run anywhere. I used to drink Gaviscon all the time for my heartburn and had to sleep with a cushion between my knees.
Justine Forrest with celebrity chef Michael Winner, who inspired her to sell her brownies, and whom she kept in contact with until his death
Justine ran the London Marathon last year. She started running after dropping the first 10 stone through walking and diet alone
'I never slept properly either. One night I was lying there thinking that I literally could have a heart attack at any point - I was over 28 stone. I knew I couldn't keep that weight up much longer. You don't see really fat elderly people do you?'
'Whilst I lay there wheezing for a breath, all I could think about was two of my three children who have serious health problems, and there's me stuffing my face creating a problem.
'My children have been through so much and yet I was being selfish to my family as I may leave them without a mother if I continued overeating.
'Throughout their hospital appointments and operations I would be there at their bedsides comfort eating just so I could try and take the pain away.
Justine began comforting eating after Millie (far left) was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, and Christopher (centre) was born with half a heart
Justine still allows herself the occasional treat in the form of her 'healthy' brownies made from locally sourced eggs
'I didn't realise that I would lose 14 stone though, I set myself small goals all the way through. I would never have done it otherwise.'
So out went the cheese, crisps, chocolate, sweets and her beloved sugary cakes and in came healthy steamed vegetables, grilled chicken and fish, and healthy curries.
She said: 'My three kids and Chris all got involved with the healthy eating. I always used to cook them good meals; it was just the portion sizes that were ridiculous.
'For exercise I simply chose to walk because it's free - unlike the gym. That's pretty much all I did exercise-wise for the first 10 stone. I'd go off for an hour on my own. I run a lot now, as opposed to walking.
'Rather than just eating rubbish all day, I eat All-Bran for breakfast with skimmed milk and then a healthy smoothie.
'For our family tea we'll have a chilli con carne or coronation chicken. I a lso stopped eating after 6pm and would keep a sports bottle of low cal juice next to me to drink.'
Despite her diet Justine was inspired to continue baking chocolate brownies after she got a thumbs up from Michael Winner when she appeared on his TV show Dining Stars.
Justine who hosts cookery classes at the Wellbeing Farm in Bolton said:
'I've always loved baking and decided that I didn't want to go to the shop and buy cakes all the time and have people looking at me so I used to bake them.
'Michael Winner was really lovely. For the show I made prawn cocktail, beef wellington and a strawberry pavlova, but he said he wanted me to bake him my brownies.
'He said to me, "These are the best I have ever tasted." From then I kept in contact with him right up until his death. He said to me, "Darling, you know that you have to bake those brownies and sell them." So I did.'
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