Mum loses 6st in time for her 40th birthday without fat jabs after piling on the pounds eating family’s leftovers
LISA Fillbrook shed six stone in less than a year without any fat jabs after years of piling on the pounds eating her family’s leftovers.
"I've always loved food – my whole day used to revolve around it," said the accountant from Truro, Cornwall.
She snacked on crisps and cheese in front of the TV, served up huge dinners, and often returned for third helpings of homemade curry.
"I loved big portions," Lisa admitted.
"I would eat my dinner, then my husband's leftovers, and then whatever our two children didn't eat.
"I'd tell myself it was to minimise waste, but I was just out of control."
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At her heaviest, Lisa tipped the scales at 17st 6lbs and wore a size 18.
Years of yo-yo dieting had left her demoralised — from Atkins to Weight Watchers to extreme calorie counting, nothing stuck.
"Food was my answer to everything — whether I was happy or sad," she said.
"I wasn't a binge or comfort eater, I just loved to eat.
"Cooking for my family was my way of looking after them. I'd dish out mega portions and polish off everyone’s leftovers."
As her 40th birthday approached, Lisa reached a breaking point. In January 2024, she vowed to lose five stone before turning 40 in November.
"I had to make a change for good," she said. "I didn’t want to feel bloated and insecure on such a milestone birthday."
Rather than follow another fad, Lisa adopted a new approach: intuitive eating.
This involves listening to her body’s natural hunger and fullness signals.
It means eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're full, without following strict diets.
It also encourages a healthy relationship with food, free from guilt or rules.
Alongside this, Lisa started doing daily five-minute Joe Wicks workouts and 10,000 steps a day.
"I didn’t restrict myself or count every calorie," she said. "I just stuck to sensible portions and made smart choices."
By May, Lisa had shed four stone.
She kept up the routine and by her birthday on November 1, she'd not only reached her target — she’d exceeded it, losing a total of six stone.
She now weighs 11st 6lbs, wears a size 10 and says she feels like a new woman.
"I didn’t think I would achieve my goal, but I’m so glad I did," she said.
"It meant I’d remember my 40th as feeling confident and happy, not insecure and bloated."
'I don't have to restrict myself'
Lisa, who lives with her husband Michael and their three children — William, nine, and twins Charlie and Poppy, six — has maintained her weight loss and found new joy in everyday life.
"I feel great, not just physically but mentally," she said.
"I love getting my steps in and walking with friends.
"I’ve fallen back in love with eating — even though I don’t eat anywhere near as much as I used to."
She still makes home-cooked meals, but anything left over now gets frozen for another day.
10 step guide to intuitive eating
Intuitive eating is all about listening to your body and building a healthier, more relaxed relationship with food.
Here are some simple steps to get started:
1. Ditch the diet rules
Stop following restrictive plans or counting calories – they don’t work long term.
2. Trust your hunger
Eat when you’re hungry. That’s your body telling you it needs fuel.
3. Give yourself permission to eat
Allow all foods – no more “banned” items. This reduces cravings and guilt.
4. Challenge the inner food police
Silence the voice that says you’ve been “bad” for eating a biscuit.
5. Tune in to fullness
Slow down. Stop eating when you feel comfortably full, not stuffed.
6. Enjoy your food
Pick meals you actually like. Satisfaction helps reduce overeating.
7. Don’t eat your feelings
If you’re sad, stressed or bored, find non-food ways to cope like walking, journaling or calling a friend.
8. Respect your body
Accept your natural shape – it’s OK not to look like a filtered photo.
9. Move for joy, not punishment
Be active because it feels good, not to burn off food.
10. Focus on health, not weight
Choose nutritious foods because they make you feel well – not just to lose pounds.
Source: British Heart Foundation
"I don't have to restrict myself or have a difficult calorie deficit to be slim," she said.
"Intuitive eating and making smart choices are not just more enjoyable but sustainable."
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She added: "I don't have to buy whatever is in my size, but clothes that I love and make me feel good.
"My family are proud, which means the world."
Lisa's diet: before and after
Diet before
Breakfast: nothing + coffee
Lunch: meal deal or Cornish pasty
Dinner: homemade curry with rice, naan bread, popadoms and chutney or, a roast
Snacks: crisps, cheese and crackers
Drinks: coffee, lagers on the weekend
Diet now
Breakfast: porridge or fruit
Lunch: rice cakes with hummus or avocado and egg on toast, or vegetarian sausage sandwich
Dinner: vegetables with meat alternatives or Quorn bakes, or homemade Thai green curry Drinks: 2l water, coffee, sometimes a Prosecco on the weekend
Snacks: fruit, Quorn cocktail sausages, Light Babybel