'I was so big I had to stop for trousers on way to work and got called pregnant'
'I was so big I had to stop for trousers on way to work and got called pregnant'
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A mum who put on so much weight she had to stop on the way to work and buy new trousers - then got asked in a meeting if she was pregnant - did her own diet research and came up with a "Britalian" way to lose six stone in eight months eating pizza, pasta and wine. Francesca Bell, a 41-year-old marketing manager, said she had tried "everything" to lose weight – fad diets, hypnosis, meal replacement shakes and homeopathic remedies – but "nothing worked".
At 5ft 4in tall, she said she reached her heaviest weight of 95kg (14st 13lbs) in 2024 and could "barely fit into any of her clothes" – and one colleague even asked her if she was expecting her third baby at a work conference. After returning from a trip to Italy, Francesca decided to look into "how the Italians eat" – and read studies from organisations such as Harvard and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
She set a calorie limit and developed "golden rules" to follow based on Italian habits, such as not drinking milky coffees after 11am and eating a sweet breakfast, and she said she noticed the weight dropping off. From May to December 2024, she lost 6st 4lbs while eating more than 365 croissants, indulging in pizza, pasta and puddings, and enjoying wine – and she has nicknamed it "The Britalian Diet".
