A woman who was left red-faced after an embarrassing horse-riding incident has gone on to lose an incredible six stone.
Clare Hunt once tipped the scales at 18st and wore a size 22 – spending years trapped in a cycle of overeating and low confidence.
The 51-year-old had spent decades struggling with her weight after years of unhealthy eating and little to no exercise.
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She regularly tucked into takeaways, crisps, chocolate and puddings – often polishing off a whole family-sized bag of crisps or a packet of biscuits in one sitting.
But one mortifying moment sticks out after years of struggling to drop the pounds – when she’d gone horse-riding with her family, only to be told she was too large to get on the animal.
“It was so embarrassing,” Clare, from Norfolk, told Need To Know.
“I wanted the ground to open and swallow me.
“But in a way, I was used to it [the embarrassment], so I would tend to ignore it.
“I would just block it out or stick it in a box and shut the lid.
“I always avoided how [those types of comments] made me feel – something I’ve realised over the past 16 months that I used to do a lot.
“I would just shut it down and eat.”
Clare had struggled with her weight since childhood, and spent much of her 20s on and off of various diets.
When she welcomed her children in her early 30s, she once again piled on the pounds.
She said: “Takeaways, crisps, and chocolate didn’t really help.
“I love curry, and at one point, we were having a takeaway at least once a week.
“If it was an Indian, I would have a main dish, rice, a side and bread, followed by pudding of sorts, and then sweets and crisps.
“I could quite happily eat a whole large bag of crisps in one sitting, or even a whole packet of biscuits – sometimes both.
“I was always tired, I didn’t really go out much, and physically it was becoming harder.
“Just the day-to-day stuff with the kids, who are now 19 and 22, housework and running my small business – which, at one point, I lost all interest in.”
Clare, who runs her own sweets-making company, says she was finally inspired to change her ways after watching her family members grow older and struggle with their health.
She said: “It made me realise that I wanted something different for my future.
“All of the health problems they were dealing with were blamed on getting old, but I don’t think that’s the case.
“I wanted to be active, I wanted to enjoy life, and I wanted to be able to actually get off the toilet once I’m past 80.”
Determined not to face the same future, she vowed to take control and avoid the difficulties she had seen them go through.
At first, she tried changing to a healthier diet and went vegan in 2020, but found herself still binging on processed meat-free foods.
It wasn’t until May 2024 that she finally took the plunge and joined her local gym, where she started personal training sessions.
She also began following a calorie deficit, carefully tracking everything she ate – and the results soon started to show.
Tracking her calories and following a tailored exercise plan, Clare has since lost 6st 11lbs – dropping to 11st 3lbs, and is now a size 10 to 12.
Her fitness routine has gone from three sessions a week to five, including bootcamp, mace training and 5km runs, alongside personal training twice a week.
Now she says she is the lightest she has ever been in her adult life and feels fitter and stronger than ever.
She is even training for a Spartan race in May 2026, followed by King of Swings – challenges she never imagined attempting before.
Her health transformation has improved everything from her sleep to her confidence – and she says she finally feels excited for the future.
She said: “It’s strange – even now I check my reflection when I walk past a shop window or mirror.
“At first, I couldn’t see what I was achieving, and I still find it hard to think I deserve it.
“Now I feel amazing.
“I am the lightest I have ever been in my adult life, and physically and mentally, I am so much stronger.
“We go out a lot more; there are no excuses for not doing things. I sleep so much better, and my life has completely changed.
“I am gaining confidence, I love the gym, and I have made new friends and reconnected with old ones.
“I’m excited to see what I can achieve in the future. For me, it’s been more about mindset and emotions rather than food, but it took us a while to get there.”
Clare’s old diet:
Breakfast – cereal, toast, cake or nothing at all
Lunch – sandwich, large bag of crisps, biscuits or McDonald’s
Dinner – takeaway curries, Chinese meals or burgers with chips and pudding
Snacks – crisps, chocolate, biscuits, fizzy drinks
Clare’s new diet:
Breakfast – Fuel granola with fruit, soya milk and chocolate peanut butter
Lunch – Peanut butter and jam on protein toast with a high-protein yoghurt
Dinner – Plant-based steak with spicy wedges, salad and pitta bread
Snacks – Protein shakes, bars and the occasional sweet treat
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