'Binge eating' Mansfield mum successfully sheds half her body weight

A 'binge eating' mum who once weighed 20 stones has undergone a startling transformation after losing half her body weight.
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Kelly Redfern even stepped into the ring for a charity boxing event as she battled to trim down to just 10 stones.

Kelly, 35, revealed she used food as a 'crutch' to help her when she was struggling mentally and would 'eat until she was nearly sick' by gorging on kebabs or pizzas.

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However, the determined mother-of-three from Mansfield underwent a complete transformation by cutting out takeaways and swimming 60 lengths a day, the equivalent of nearly a mile.

Kelly Redfern managed to shed half her body weight. Here's the before and after pics.Kelly Redfern managed to shed half her body weight. Here's the before and after pics.
Kelly Redfern managed to shed half her body weight. Here's the before and after pics.

Kelly was inspired to push herself even further and signed up to a gruelling boxing programme with Ultra White Collar Boxing before taking part in a bout.

She is now down to just 10 stone half of what she previously weighed.

She began suffering with depression when she was 14 years old but "hit rock bottom" following the birth of her twin daughters Germaine and Courtney in 2004.

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She would often only eat one huge meal a day, and when she did she would eat until she was nearly sick.

Kelly before the weightloss.Kelly before the weightloss.
Kelly before the weightloss.

The stay at home mum said: "After the twins were born, the doctors said I was suffering with postnatal depression but I've been suffering with depression and binge eating for years.

"My girls were born prematurely, they only weighed a pound and half, and two pounds. There were a lot of complications that I struggled to handle.

"The more depressed I was, the more I would stay in and eat.

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"When I had the twins, I would cry all the time and just never want to go out of the house.

Kelly during the UWCB boxing match.Kelly during the UWCB boxing match.
Kelly during the UWCB boxing match.

"Typically, I would only eat one large meal a day and that would include takeaways such as pizza or kebabs when I didn’t want to cook.

"I would not eat again until the next evening at around 9pm or 10pm, this would be a binge eat. I never ate breakfast.

"I would eat and eat until I was nearly sick. I would just stuff the food in."

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Kelly had a strict regime to try and cut her weight down, including having a healthy breakfast and regular balanced meals.

Kelly after the weightloss.Kelly after the weightloss.
Kelly after the weightloss.

By swimming up to 60 lengths a day she was able to shift a lot of weight very quickly.

She said: "I managed to lose seven stone and then I just couldn't shift anymore. I had sort of frozen with my weight loss when I decided to do the boxing.

"I wanted to do something for charity that was a bit different and wasn't running a marathon because everyone does that and I hate running.

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"The events were for a really good cause and after losing my gran, Connie, to stomach cancer a couple of years ago it seemed like the right thing to do."

She was helped in her training by her father, David Mitchell, who was a welterweight boxer in the 1950s.

Now she is able to feel comfortable in herself and be proud in the knowledge that her charity boxing bouts raised vital cash for an important charity.

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