I once tipped the scales at 18 stone and was so fat I needed to use a wheelchair. Then I tried this unfashionable retro diet, and am wearing a size 10 for the first time in 20 years

With a growing list of pressures – three children to care for, her own health problems and her husband’s cancer scare – Gillian Thomas found herself gaining weight.

Tipping the scales at 18 stone, she hated seeing herself in the mirror and deliberately avoided family photographs.

‘I just didn’t recognize myself,’ he said. ‘I would become a drop.’

Due to a painful joint condition that affected his mobility and made him increasingly wheelchair-bound, he was caught in a vicious cycle: the more weight he gained, the harder it was for him to move, causing his weight to increase even more.

Exhausted, she struggled to find the energy to prepare nutritious homemade meals.

When her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor, the added burden of caring for him and attending countless medical appointments made it even more difficult to find time to cook properly.

Instead, the easy option has become the dinner norm: ready meals, frozen pies, sausages, burgers and baked fries.

Gillian said: ‘I wasn’t feeling well. I was always pretty skinny when I was younger, but over time I let things slide.

‘After having children, my weight increased, then my wife lost weight. He was in and out of the hospital, then off from work for long periods of time. ‘It was a case of eating whatever was in the freezer as I didn’t have the time or energy to cook anything else.’

But the 53-year-old artist has now turned his life around, thanks to a dramatic weight loss.

Eight stone lighter, he is no longer bound to his wheelchair or needing crutches to get around the house.

He returned to work with a huge boost in self-confidence. In fact, she can wear size 10 clothes for the first time in 20 years.

This might seem like one of those success stories of the much-hyped weight loss injections that have transformed obesity treatment in recent years.

But Gillian revealed that she owes her remarkable comeback not to Wegovy or Mounjaro, but to a more old-fashioned approach: a calorie-restricted diet.

Four years ago, she signed up for the Jane Plan, a retro diet system that fans say is life-changing, easy, better than fat injections and loses weight fast.

The idea is to have pre-prepared meals delivered to your door once a month, providing approximately 1,200 calories per day for women and 1,400 calories per day for men.

Gillian said: ‘I wasn’t feeling well. ‘I was always very skinny when I was young, but over time I let things slide’

There are dozens of options, but a typical menu might include pecan and maple granola for breakfast (179 calories), spicy Thai noodles for lunch (204 calories), and beef lasagna for dinner (401 calories).

While daily snacks (such as chocolate-dipped cookies (81 calories)) are included, customers are also encouraged to fill their meals with fresh fruits and vegetables.

By sticking to the plan, the goal is to lose a few pounds per week; This is a similar result to using weight loss injections.

The cost varies from £259 to £409 per month depending on how long you sign up.

Founded in 2010 by Jane Michell, a former nutrition manager at a London hospital, the company says it has helped nearly 100,000 people lose weight so far.

Among them is Gillian, who lives near Watford in Hertfordshire with her engineer husband Renny and their three children, aged 15 to 20.

She lost her left arm in a train accident as a young woman and also suffers from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a distressing genetic disease that causes laxity and arthritis in her joints.

She said: ‘When I was at my heaviest, doctors warned me that I was morbidly obese. I had to use crutches to get around indoors, and when I left the house I had to get a wheelchair or mobility scooter so I could sit.

After launching the Jane Plan, Gillian dropped from 18 stone to 11 stone in less than a year and has now fallen further; Just under 10 stone

‘My son said he was obviously embarrassed and didn’t want to be seen with me in a wheelchair because people would think I was using a wheelchair because I was fat. I saw the Jane Plan advertised on TV and thought: I’ve got to do this!’

After starting the plan, she dropped from 18 stone to 11 stone in less than a year and has now dropped even further to just under ten stone.

After successfully treating his wife’s brain tumor, he started working as a teacher at a local primary school.

He said: ‘The Jane Plan has been a game changer. This gave me a burst of energy and motivation as well as boosting my confidence. I can now climb stairs with ease and my overall health has improved. ‘I can even fit into the clothes I last wore 20 years ago!’

Nutritional therapist Amanda Serif, a member of the British Society for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine, confirmed that the Jane Plan can be an effective tool for weight loss.

He said: ‘There is really good evidence that calorie-controlled meal delivery systems can provide short-term weight loss. More people tend to lose weight with a structured program like the Jane Plan than if they try to do it on their own.

‘It requires deciding what to eat, providing the right food with the right amount of calories. ‘It also enforces portion control, which is something a lot of people really struggle with.’

But Ms Serif warned people using the plan risk regaining weight if they stop eating, unless they also make changes to their diet and lifestyle.

Gillian now says: ‘The Jane Plan was a game changer. This gave me a burst of energy and motivation as well as boosting my confidence.’

He said: ‘Unless you stay on the plan indefinitely, the only way to prevent weight regain is to use it as a stepping stone to long-term behavior change.

‘You need to learn how big your food portion should be, what the healthier choices are and which foods will make you feel fuller and keep you fuller for longer.’

Gillian was initially shocked to see the portion sizes of the meals offered on the plan.

He said: ‘In recent years we have become accustomed to increasingly larger portions. At first I thought the Jane Plan meals looked small. But the surprise is that I never went hungry; There was no need for a sneaky scone or piece of cake.’

Gillian continues to receive Jane Plan meals monthly. Although he acknowledges the cost involved, he believes it has proven good value for money.

He said: ‘You save money on the weekly shop. And you’re not just buying the diet plan – you’re also buying the fact that you’ll lose weight… And you’re not ordering takeaways to lose weight, which can mean big savings.

He added: ‘It was amazing. ‘I can’t put into words how much my lifestyle has changed, how much more I can move, how much more I can do, how much better I feel about myself.’