Teagan Hopwood, a 31-year-old barista from Kent, lost five stone in six months by gradually cutting calories and working out at home.
Hopwood went from a dress size 20 to a size 10, dropping from 16st 4lbs to 11st 9lbs. She has maintained her weight loss for two years through what she describes as sustainable habits and a balanced lifestyle.
"I’m happy, way more confident and I can safely say I love my body," Hopwood said. "Despite the stretch marks and saggy skin from the weight loss I am the most confident I have ever been."
She explained that she follows an 80/20 rule, eating homemade foods 80 per cent of the time and reserving 20 per cent for takeaways and chocolate. "I’m more active, made new friends at the gym and my daughter aspires to be strong like me instead of how I felt growing up wanting to be skinny," she added. "I’ve kept a healthy lifestyle since and for me that means balance. Yes, I eat processed foods - I like to go by the 80/20 rule so 80 per cent of homemade foods and 20 per cent takeaway and chocolate. I’m still human and still want to enjoy my life."
Calorie deficit and food swaps
Hopwood's weight loss journey began in 2023, after she spent the previous summer unhappy with her body image during the first heatwave of 2022. "It was the first heatwave of 2022 and I couldn’t fit into the only pair of denim shorts that I owned," she said. "I was already unhappy with my weight however this was the push that made me change for good."
She said she had seen videos online explaining calorie deficits and realised what she needed to do. "It was never that I couldn’t lose the weight, it was that I wasn’t in the right mindset to do so - I had to be ready," she said.
To start, Hopwood replaced her usual diet of entire bags of chocolate and three chicken wraps at lunch with high-protein meals and healthier snacks like Babybels and kiwis. She began eating 2,200 calories per day before gradually dropping her intake to 1,700 calories per day.
"I prioritised protein at every meal, making smart swaps and still eating all the food I love like Pizza Hut takeaways and homemade chicken burgers," Hopwood said. "It was never much about what I was eating just how much I was eating. I would make fajita wraps but would have about three which adds up."
Weekly meal planning and exercise routine
Hopwood built her exercise routine around her young daughter's nap times, doing two high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts per week alongside weight lifting. After reaching 11st 9lbs, she introduced strength training four times a week to build muscle and maintain weight loss.
She maintains her weight loss by planning her weekly meals every Sunday before grocery shopping. Her meals include chicken burgers, fajita mince with butternut squash, homemade pizzas, and chicken skewers with rice and vegetables. For lunch, she makes egg wraps filled with chicken slices, mustard, and lettuce, alongside light Babybels and a kiwi.
In the evening, she satisfies her sweet cravings with low-fat Greek yoghurt mixed with chocolate protein powder, topped with mini marshmallows, pretzels, M&Ms, and chocolate sauce. "It fits in with my calorie limit, so why not?" she said.
Views on weight loss jabs
Hopwood said she "never even considered" taking weight loss jabs. "I knew I could lose the weight on my own. It was staying consistent that I needed to work on," she said. "I have nothing against people taking the jab, but I do wish people would actually try doing it themselves first though instead of thinking they are taking the easy route. You have to learn how to keep the weight off."
In January, a study found that patients who stop using weight loss jabs are likely to regain the weight they lost. On average, users gained around a pound a month after quitting, with many projected to regain most or all of the lost weight within 17 to 20 months.
Professor Susan Jebb, co-author of the study and an adviser to ministers and the NHS on obesity, suggested that long-term obesity treatment may require lifetime solutions. "Obesity is a chronic relapsing condition, and I think one would expect that these treatments need to be continued for life, just in the same way as blood pressure medication," Jebb said.
