Surgery was the chef’s recipe for weight loss

A chef who halved her weight had to resist constant temptation as she worked with delicious food every day.

Charlene Henderson’s work preparing tasty meals proved her downfall as her weight soared to 22 stone. She tried numerous diets but couldn’t shift her excess weight.

The mum-of-two said she was so heavy she once got stuck on a chute while playing with her children. However, the svelte Edinburgh woman is a shadow of her former self after shedding 11 stone.

She achieved her new trim figure after spending £10,000 on “gastric sleeve” surgery which saw the size of her stomach reduced so she would feel fuller after eating less.

Charlene, 45, said she burst into tears when her daughter Ellie, 13, said she could clasp her hands together while hugging her something she’d never been able to do when she was heavier. Her new slim figure also allowed Charlene to take part in her first-ever triathlon last month.

Charlene, who works as a chef at Mortonhall Golf Club, said: “I’ve always struggled with my weight. All through school I was bigger than everyone else. I’ve always been keen on sport but whatever sport I did my weight went with me.”

Charlene had the surgery at Spire Murrayfield at the end of 2011 and started to lose weight over the next two years en route to her ideal 11 stone.

The gruelling triathlon saw her swim eight lengths of the Commonwealth pool in Edinburgh, cycle 11 miles and run just under four miles.

“It was the most fantastic feeling ever when I finished it,” she said.