Mum who ballooned to size 18 after spending £450 a month on Big Mac addiction becomes diet guru

Lauren Wallis, 25, could eat seven hotdogs in a single sitting and spent £450 a month on McDonalds but in just a few months she lost five stone

Out of control: Lauren Wallis, 25, had tipped the scales at 14stone 4lb after dining at the burger chain up to three times a day, but has now slimmed down to 9 stone and is a size 8

A young mother who spent up to £450 a month eating in McDonalds has shed over five stone after kicking her junk food habit - and is now inspiring other dieters on Instagram.
Bakery worker Lauren Wallis, 25, had tipped the scales at 14stone 4lb after dining at the burger chain up to three times a day. She could eat seven hotdogs in one sitting and would eat giant portions of Coco Pops out of a mixing bowl.
But when Lauren, who lives in Lowestoft, Suffolk, reached a size 18, she was horrified after seeing a photograph of herself looking bloated on a night out.
After the birth of her daughter Mia, now two, Lauren decided to join a slimming club and lost over five stone in four months, and is now a size 8.
She swapped junk food for healthy home cooked meals then charted her weight loss journey on photo sharing website, Instagram.
She has amassed 19,000 followers and shares healthy recipes, diet tips and ‘before and after’ photos in a bid to inspire others to lose weight.

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Lauren said: “When I was at my biggest I had no confidence. I had always been chunky, but when I left school I worked as a supervisor in a call centre and my weight ballooned."
At that time her diet was out of control. For breakfast she would fill up a mixing bowl with Coco Pops. Then, at 11am, she would go to McDonald's and have pancakes, a burger and a chocolate milkshake.
For lunch, Lauren would eat a foot-long sandwich from Subway, along with a fizzy drink and cookies and throughout the day she would snack from the office vending machine.
Dinner was Indian takeaways in the office, or she would cook Fray Bentos pies and get hot chips.

Lauren said: “My eating was out of control. I could eat seven hotdogs in one sitting and sometimes I would go to McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was terrible. I wasn’t educated in healthy eating. I would drink a lot of fizzy drinks like Coca Cola and Dr Pepper.
“I did notice my weight going up but nobody ever mentioned it to me. Whenever I went on a night out I wore dark, baggy clothes and if I wore high heeled shoes my feet would bleed and blister because of my weight.'
After her friend tagged her in a photo on Facebook, Lauren said she was "horrified".
She said: “I was massive, my arms were massive. My hair was sweaty and I had really bad skin.
“I was so unfit that I couldn’t even walk to the shop without sweating.

Within a matter of months Lauren was down to a size 12 and she met her partner Richard Williams, 32.
But when she fell pregnant months later she found herself going back to her old ways and the weight piled back on.
Again, after seeing a photograph of herself, this time at her daughter's first birthday she was prompted to take action.
She joined Slimming World and at her first class she weighed 14stone 4lb. But within four months she lost over five stone "and I felt amazing".
Lauren now weighs 9 stone and is a size 8.
She started off by posting family photos and a few recipes on Instagram, but as her fan base started to swell, she started sharing more and more.

“I share ‘before and after’ photos of myself to help inspire others and people write lovely comments complimenting me on my achievement. I really believe that if I can lose weight anybody can, and I want to show other people that it is doable if you put your mind to it.
“I am a working mum and I understand how hard it can be to stay on track.”
Lauren, whose posts on the social media site get up to 1,300 comments and ‘likes,’ enjoys cooking paella, spaghetti and meatballs and healthy low-fat curries for herself and her family.
The young mum said: “I have completely changed my lifestyle. I love cooking and we never eat frozen food."
A typical days diet is now porridge for breakfast, salad for lunch and pasta or a curry for dinner.
Lauren said: “When I go out I wear high heels and my feet don’t bleed anymore, and my wardrobe is an array of colour.
“I am a much happier and more confident person now that I have lost weight, and I want to inspire other people to feel the same way.”