A former yo-yo dieter who has lost more than the weight of her eight-year-old son is hoping her experience will inspire others to shift their excess pounds.

Kim Lee began piling on the pounds after the birth of her third child and this continued until she was 15st 13lbs.

With the pressures of bringing up five children and holding down a full time job as a special education needs assistant at a primary school she did not think she had time to exercise.

But eventually after her cousin’s constant badgering she went along to a Kick Start Fat Loss (KSFL) class.

Weighing herself after her first week, Miss Lee, of Reese Gardens, Addiscombe, found she had lost 7lbs and after 28 days she had lost a stone.

Your Local Guardian: Kim Lee, from Addiscombe, used to weigh 15st 13lb.

Before: Nearly 16 stone

And since starting the classes she has dropped three dress sizes from her upper body and four dress sizes from her lower body, now fitting into size 10 trousers.

Ms Lee said: “My children say they’re really proud of me and my eight-year-old says ‘You’re so special, you have done really well.’”

As well as high intensity interval training including squats, lunges and weights, the 40-year-old has made big changes to her diet.

She now watches what she puts into a meal and her children help her prepare the food so they now know what is going into their meals.

Your Local Guardian: The bags of sugar weigh the same as the amount of weight Kim Lee has lost

After: Ms Lee thanks high intensity training and changes to her diet

But she does not stop her teenagers from eating fast food if they want to.

She said: “Kids are kids and I cannot stop them from going to the chip shop but I can say if you do that you are going to be big and they have seen what I have been through and they know the healthy choice is not a bad choice.”

And the 40-year-old says people should not be shy about coming along to the KSFL classes and added: “Come and give it a go. “Everyone is there for the same reason.”

Click here for more details about the classes.

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