A woman who thought she looked pregnant has revealed how it was actually due to a cancerous tumour that left her piling on the pounds – but popular throwback diet ‘saved’ her figure.
As Debs Dunham stared into the mirror, she didn’t recognise the person looking back at her.
The client relationship manager, who led a healthy lifestyle and maintained her size 12 figure, was stunned as her belly appeared as though she was expecting.
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And, at 44, she definitely wasn’t looking to welcome a little one.
Worried, she booked an appointment with her doctor, who revealed the horrifying thing growing inside of her; a 20-cm cancerous tumour located in the ovaries.
Despite going into remission after treatment, this also plunged her into menopause – and into a bigger dress size.
At her heaviest, she was 15st 8lbs and so turned to a popular diet from the 2010s that saw her shift over 4st 8lbs in just nine months.
“I’d seen an advert for Jane Plan,” Debs, from Swindon, told Need To Know.
“It supported weight loss through healthy portion-controlled meals delivered to your door.
“So I decided to give it a go.”
Debs noticed the aforementioned changes to her body in 2020.
It all began during a spin session, when her knee kept crashing into her stomach.
At first, she laughed it off, but mentioned it to her husband, who said: “I didn’t want to say anything, but you do look pregnant”.
As her stomach continued to grow, and more people began to notice, she became desperate for answers.
She said: “I was convinced it was either the menopause or bloating.
“I drank peppermint tea relentlessly and swallowed every anti-bloating remedy I could find.
“I remember lying on the floor one day, physically pushing against my stomach, as though I could force it to disappear.
“Looking back, it sounds ridiculous, but I was scared and frustrated.
“My body no longer felt like my own.
“I stopped undressing in front of my husband because I was embarrassed by what I had become.
“And, deep down, I knew something was growing inside of me.
“I just didn’t know what.”
After speaking with her doctor, urgent blood tests and an MRI scan were ordered, which revealed the aforementioned tumour.
Plans to operate immediately were put in place; and, thankfully, surgery to remove fluid build-up and a hysterectomy were a success.
But then Debra faced another battle.
Before her treatment, she was eating muesli for breakfast, chicken salads at lunch and dinners filled with vegetables, as well as fruit-laden snacks.
But after her cancer diagnosis and subsequent hysterectomy, her eating habits quickly changed.
She would have two pieces of toast with peanut butter for breakfast and lunch would be a sandwich with crisps and a bar of chocolate.
At tea time, it’d be pasta – with a portion size big enough to feed two.
Before Debs knew it, she found her size 14 clothes too tight and her breasts were ‘enormous’.
She said: “On a visit to see my mum, she could see I wasn’t happy.
“To cheer me up, she made me a beautiful denim skirt.
“As I held it up, I thought there was no way it’d fit, as it looked huge.
“But, as I put it on, I realised how wrong I was.
“It was too tight.
“I felt horrified.
“Then, I struggled getting into a pair of size 16 jeans.
“I couldn’t believe how much I let myself go.
“I lost so much more than my figure; I lost my confidence, identity and the way I felt about myself as a woman.
“I started hiding from photographs and doing everything I could to avoid attention.
“The penny dropped that something had to change now – and fast.”
In September 2023, she took up using Jane Plan.
For £259-per-month, healthy and reasonably-sized portions were waiting on her doorstep.
At breakfast time, it’d be a bowl of muesli or granola.
For lunch, Debs would eat soups and fruit and a cottage pie or chilli for dinner.
As a snack, the now 51-year-old would chow down on a small chocolate bar or biscuit.
After two weeks, over 8lbs was lost.
And, within one month, over a stone had been shed.
She said: “As the pounds fell off, I got my spark back.
“For someone my size at the time, I think this approach was better [than using jabs].
“It helped me to control my portion sizes while still eating healthy, balanced meals rather than feeling like I was restricting myself.
“What I found most valuable is that it helped me change my relationship with food and re-educated me on what a proper portion looks like.
“I wasn’t just losing weight; I was learning how to eat properly.
“I was able to keep the weight off even after I stopped using Jane Plan, which, for me, was a real sign that it had worked.
“It wasn’t a quick fix, though.
“I’m not opposed to weight-loss jabs at all and I can absolutely see why they’re beneficial for some people.
“For those who are severely overweight or have health conditions linked to their weight, they can be a really important tool.
“However, for me personally, I felt I was still active and capable of exercising, so focusing on healthier eating and portion control felt like the right route to take.
“And, with the jab alone, I wouldn’t have learned these habits.
“I’m so proud of how far I’ve come.
“It’s had a hugely positive impact on my relationship with my husband, too.
“We’ve got that spark back in the bedroom that we both thought had been lost forever.
“And not only can I get my mum’s denim skirt on with ease, I’ve had to ask her to take it in.”
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