Kirsty Ball is, quite literally, half the woman she once was – after losing a staggering 11 1/2 stones (74kgs).

The 26-year-old from Scissett spent years struggling with her weight and had “tried every diet going”, but it was the shock of suffering life-threatening complications during pregnancy that finally gave her the willpower to slim down to a healthy 11st 3lbs.

Her successful weight loss journey began two years ago, after giving birth to son Malachy, and continued through her second pregnancy. Kirsty explains: “I’ve always been big and was about 17 stones when I got pregnant the first time. But during the pregnancy I put on six stones. I was eating for more than two. It gave me the excuse to eat a lot of chocolate.

“I ended up with pre-eclampsia and had to have an emergency C section because Malachy’s heart nearly stopped. My blood pressure was through the roof.”

Kirsty says she knew that being seriously overweight carried risks in pregnancy and a midwife had warned her, but, as she says: “I didn’t think it would happen to me.”

From 23 stones to just over 11 - Kirsty Ball, Skelmanthorpe slimming club member

Fortunately, after treatment to reduce her blood pressure, Kirsty made a full recovery and Malachy today is a normal healthy toddler.

But the trauma of an emergency Caesarian section made Kirsty determined to lose weight once and for all. “I’d tried every fad diet there was – the cabbage soup diet, the Atkins diet and a diet by Gillian McKeith, but I always put the weight back on,” she said.

Before getting pregnant she’d even been a member of the Slimming World group in Skelmanthorpe and had successfully shed four stones - before dropping off the wagon and regaining it all. But she decided to get her Slimming World books out and give it another go.

Super slimmer mum of two, Kirsty Ball of Clayton West, who's lost 11 stones.
Super slimmer mum of two, Kirsty Ball of Clayton West, who's lost 11 stones.

During the first few months of Malachy’s life, Kirsty stuck to the organisation’s healthy eating plan and managed to lose an astonishing five stones on her own. But when she discovered she was pregnant once again, Kirsty felt that she needed the support of other slimmers and so rejoined the Skelmanthorpe group, now run by Jo Cain.

She’s not looked back since. As she explains: “When I found out I was pregnant I thought ‘oh no it’s going to happen again’. I was going to put loads of weight on. But Jo helped me a lot and I couldn’t have done what I’ve done without the group.”

Kirsty’s midwife signed a consent form for her to continue on the weight loss plan and by the time daughter Mexi-Mai arrived a year ago she had she lost another 3 1/2 stones. Unfortunately, once again the birth didn’t go smoothly and Kirsty suffered a ruptured placenta. But this time obesity could not be blamed.

Happily, Mexi-Mai was delivered safely and today Kirsty is almost down to her target weight – just another half stone to go.

Kirsty Ball, from 23 stones to just over 11 in two years

A former supermarket team leader and now full-time mum, Kirsty believes her issues with food began at the age of 11 when her grandfather died. “I was very close to him and at first I stopped eating, then I started comfort eating,” she explained. “I like sweet stuff and pastries. But it was also about portion sizes. I’d have a huge bowl of cereals every morning and we’d have a lot of ready meals.”

Since adopting Slimming World eating plans, Kirsty says she’s discovered a real interest in cooking. “I love it now,” she added, “I cook all our meals from scratch. We still have burgers, but I make them myself from low-fat mince and I make pizzas, but weigh everything out. You can have as much fruit and vegetables as you like. I’d say I eat more now than I used to, it’s just the right things.

“One of our favourite meals as a family is nacho feast, where, instead of crisps you make oven chips and serve them with a dip like a chilli. Malachy loves it. We also love five-spice sticky gammon with noodles and stir-fried veg.”

Losing weight means that Kirsty has shrunk from a size 24/26 to a size 12 and she can now shop for fashionable clothes in mainstream stores – a real pleasure for someone who could only wear voluminous t-shirts. But she is also free of the asthma that she once suffered and says: “I feel better in myself and my hair and skin are better as well.” Part of her new lifestyle is regular exercise and she goes on a long walk twice a week with a friend she met at the slimming club.

Super slimmer mum of two, Kirsty Ball of Clayton West, who's lost 11 stones. Pictured with daughter Mexi-Mai and son Malachy.
Super slimmer mum of two, Kirsty Ball of Clayton West, who's lost 11 stones. Pictured with daughter Mexi-Mai and son Malachy.

While Kirsty is evangelical about her slimming group, she accepts that every overweight person has to make their own decisions about when and how to lose weight and pressure from other people won’t necessarily work. As she says: “You have got to get to a time when you are ready to do it. It comes to a point when you need to do it, for yourself and your kids. That’s when you get the willpower.”

Her own partner, engineer James Stathers, is supportive of her weight loss. But, as she says, “He never wanted me to lose weight. I was big when he met me. But he treats me to something, like a Pandora charm, every time I lose half a stone. I’ve got a whole bracelet now.”

Returning to a healthy weight is something that Kirsty knows will benefit her family as a whole and she hopes her children will grow up with a positive attitude towards wholesome food and home-cooked meals. “They’re still allowed snacks,” says Kirsty, “I still have my treats. But we all eat healthily.”

* In the last 25 years the number of obese mothers-to-be in the UK has doubled and now accounts for nearly one in five of those in their first trimester. According to NHS Choices, putting on too much weight during pregnancy is a risk factor for both gestational diabetes and the serious condition pre-eclampsia which threatens the life of the mother and baby.

Obesity also raises the risks of intervention during labour, perineal trauma, miscarriage, stillbirth, blood clots, post-natal infection and a whole host of other complications.

The National Childbirth Trust says women gain on average between 18 to 30lbs (8 to 13kgs) during pregnancy and it is a myth that mothers-to-be need to eat for two. At the most, says the charity, women require only an extra 200 calories a day during the last trimester. However, health professionals warn that pregnancy is not the time to embark on a strict, calorie-controlled diet. They want to see women adopting a healthy eating approach.