A 16 STONE mum lost half her body weight after becoming so obese her gallbladder had to be removed.
Courtney Boxill, 31, weighed 16st and 6lbs at her heaviest and was a size 22.
The mum-of-two gained weight after giving birth and would binge on takeaways at night time.
But when her intense stomach pains turned out to be gallstone pancreatitis, she had to have her gallbladder removed.
Doctors said the issue was related to her weight and her bad diet, she said.
The health battle gave Courtney a push to change her lifestyle – and she switched her diet from McDonald’s and Dominoes to home cooked meals.
In two and a half years, she lost 8st 4lbs to reach a slender 8st 2lbs and a size four to six.
Courtney, a cleaner, from Chatham, Kent, said: “It is no surprise I got ill. I was sitting on my bum all day in the van. It all started with chest pains, it felt like someone was sitting on my chest.
“The doctors told me it was just anxiety and depression, but it got worse.
“I only know one person who had gallbladder issues and that was my grandma.
“I should not have been experiencing this at 29-years-old. The doctor said I was riddled with them.
“My diet was bad, and I was so overweight, and I knew I needed to really change.”
Courtney started to struggle with her weight after having her first daughter at a young age.
She said: “I started to gain a lot of weight as I had a child when I was 18 and didn’t really have much support from my family.
“I was tired all the time and just wanted to stay home and never leave the house.”
Takeaways were Courtney’s main guilty pleasure. She would binge on the greasy food and take Rennie’s to deal with her heartburn.
She would laze in bed – and was told she was suffering from depression and anxiety by doctors.
Courtney began to vomit frequently in January 2023 – experiencing immense stomach pains that kept her bed bound.
But she was initially told it was panic attacks by doctors.
She said: “It started to get so bad that from 3am to 9am I was up every morning being sick and crying in pain.”
Courtney went back to A&E in August 2023 and was diagnosed with gallstone pancreatitis.
Her pancreatitis was so bad, she underwent surgery in March 2024 to have the gallstones and her gallbladder removed in March 2024.
Courtney had to quit her job due to her illness and focused on her recovery.
It gave her a wake-up call to reflect on her health and look at losing some “real weight”.
WEIGHT LOSS PLAN
Her husband, Eddie, 35, an ex-personal trainer, who also was trying to loose some weight, helped her organise a plan for her food and gym goals over each month.
She began by eating home-cooked meals such as chicken stir fry and jacket potato to slim down, but now on a bodybuilding journey she eats seven meals a day.
She eats 30g of protein in every meal, usually containing chicken, rice and sweet potato.
Courtney’s diet before and after
DIET BEFORE
- Breakfast: Skipped
- Lunch: Skipped
- Dinner: McDonalds order of 20 chicken nuggets, two large fries, a double cheeseburger, and a McFlurry – or a Dominoes large stuff crust pizza.
- Snacks every evening: Entire grab bags of crisps, a chocolate bar, a pack of fruit pastels, a huge bowl of cereal and a pack of cookies.
DIET AFTER
- Breakfast: Protein shake
- Lunch: Chicken and rice 100g each with green beans
- Second lunch: Chicken and rice 100g each with green beans
- Dinner: Chicken and rice 100g each with green beans
- Snacks occasionally: Cucumber
Courtney said: “I started to look like I actually do go to the gym. I felt so much better about myself and thought about the possibility of taking on body building.
“The same day my friend offered some of her old clothes to me, and I said there would be no way they would fit me because she is tiny, she’s size six, but the dress I tried on fit me and I was so shocked.”
But Courtney has been left with loose skin after her weight loss.
She said: “The skin sagging down makes me feel awful. I hate bra shopping because all the skin sags and bulges out the top and I hate it.
“I am open about my skin, but I am constantly wearing baggy clothes.”
SURGERY PLEA
Courtney is fundraising £7,000 for surgery in Turkey to have the loose skin removed.
She said: “The skin started to really rub me in the gym, but the NHS won’t do anything about it so I thought, well everyone else goes on a plane to get surgery and touch ups, why can’t I?
“I deserve to show off my hard work.”
Courtney plans to enter a bodybuilding competition in October of next year – after recovering from surgery.
She said: “I’ve tried it all – Slimming World, pills of all kinds.
“I am just very glad that these weight loss jabs weren’t around when I was trying everything but regular exercise and dieting as I think it would have really messed me up.
“No one believed I could do this, and then I did it. I want other women to know that they can too, it is all possible.
“The best thing you can do is the minimum if you don’t want to start. Walk 10,000 steps a day. It’s a good start.”
How to lose weight safely
Losing weight should be a long-term commitment to healthier living, rather than any drastic measures.
The NHS tips – which can be adopted slowly – include:
- Get active for 150 minutes a week – you can break this up into shorter sessions
- Aim to get your 5 A Day – 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables count as 1 portion
- Aim to lose 1 to 2lbs, or 0.5 to 1kg, a week
- Read food labels – products with more green colour coding than amber and red are often a healthier option
- Swap sugary drinks for water – if you do not like the taste, add slices of lemon or lime for flavour
- Cut down on food that’s high in sugar and fat – start by swapping sugary cereal for wholegrain alternatives
- Share your weight loss plan with someone you trust – they can help motivate you when you have a bad day
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