A benefits manager has shed an incredible seven stone in just one year. What made her do it? Well, it was all down to one necklace she was gifted that didn't fit. Marv Young is a South London woman who was faced with the heartache of losing her brother Alan at just nine years old. Unfortunately, she then suffered the loss of her uncle Douglas at 13 and later her father Jonathan at age 26. After years of pain and heartbreak, the 51-year-old found solace in eating. Her unhealthy habits led her to weigh, at her heaviest, 17st 5lbs (110.5kg) despite being just 5ft 1ins tall. It was in 2021 that Young hit her biggest size yet and was completely "in denial", even after her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis.
It wasn't until she was gifted a necklace in 2022 that she realised it was time to turn her life around. The necklace was too small for Young to wear and gave her the push to change her lifestyle once and for all. That's when Marv discovered the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan. She managed to drop from a size 22 to an impressive size 10 in one year with the help of personalised consultant support, regular weigh-ins, and meal replacement products. Now, Young has tipped the scales in the opposite direction, weighing 10st 2lbs (64.5kg).
Following her incredible transition, Marv feels "phenomenal" and has even gone on to become a diet consultant herself, keen to help others achieve the same sense of accomplishment and well-being that she does. Speaking to PA Real Life, she revealed: "I've been fat throughout my whole life... this is the first time in years that I've been slim.".
She went on to say: "This whole journey just started off with dropping a few stone, and what's happened to me along the way has been amazing. I got more than I bargained for, and I feel phenomenal.". The 51-year-old had a typical childhood until. However, she experienced the tragic death of her brother Alan, which led her to start "emotionally eating". "I grew up sharing things with my brother, and then, one day, he just wasn't there," Young shared.
"Coming from a Caribbean household, food is a form of love, so even though my sibling was no longer there, my mum was still buying the same amount of food. She was still shopping the same way, and, obviously, I didn't have anyone to share the treats and foods with, so I was just eating them. I guess that's when my relationship with food – emotional eating – happened.".
Years later, as a 13-year-old, Young lost her uncle Douglas, and at 26, her father, who died from a heart attack, adding to her emotional distress. For her, comfort came in the form of sweet treats, as she filled up on cookies and muffins. She grieved and tucked into her favourite foods, like traditional Caribbean dishes such as curry goat with rice and peas and macaroni cheese, and slowly but surely her weight began to creep up.
"I was that person where, if the jeans didn't fit, it was the washing machine; if my ring got too tight, my hands were swollen," she confessed. "I was in complete denial.". Young had been dealing with back pain for several years, attributing it to ageing. However, when she started to feel pins and needles down her body and a tightness in her torso, she sought medical help. It was then that she received her life-changing MS diagnosis, in 2011.
Multiple sclerosis is a condition that can last a lifetime, and research by the MS Trust even suggests that being overweight can dial up the risk of the condition. To everyone around her, Young was insisting that she was fine, but the truth behind her weight was much darker. After receiving her new medication, she gained at least another two stone.
She explained the tipping point: "My goddaughter bought me a necklace, and I couldn't fit the chain around my neck. My neck was so fat I couldn't fit the necklace around it... and I thought, 'Oh my God, how embarrassing, can I really go and tell her to change this gift?' And I thought, 'No, you just can't do that'. The necklace was the icing on the cake.".
At that moment, it hit her – it was time to overhaul her diet and lifestyle. Her weight now threatened more than just her health - it jeopardised her ability to look after her 95-year-old mother, Sylvia, who relies solely on her for care. The bespoke dieting programme that Young joined, 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan, helped her to begin her personal journey in January 2023 and go on to see astonishing results. Overall, she shed a whopping seven stone over 12 months and even noticed her shoe size shrink from a UK size 5 to 4. Now tipping the scales at 10st 2lbs and six dress sizes down, she went on to take the 1:1 Diet Woman of the Year award.
With a newfound passion for clothes shopping, thanks to the vast "choice" now available to her, Marv has revamped not just her wardrobe but her outlook on life. With her MS in check and her medication doses decreased, she is able to live a much more active lifestyle.
Young shared her guiding philosophy: "I experienced so much grief, but I always believe you have options. You can either let things consume you or you can rise above it, so I chose to rise above it and not let it dictate who I am and the person I was becoming." She joyfully added, "I'm a new woman, and now the necklace fits.".
