Brit woman loses 35 kg thanks to credit crunch

Updated on: 24 March,2009 08:27 AM IST |
Agencies |

Went on a u00a31 (Rs 73) a day diet after new business left her with little money

Went on a u00a31 (Rs 73) a day diet after new business left her with little money

Cassie Ball (27) went on the u00a31 (Rs 73) per day diet after she remortgaged her house and begged and borrowed

In a new avtaar: Cassie Ball went from being 98.5 kg to 63.5 kg in 20 months

from family and friends to set up her dream business. Raising the u00a330,000 (Rs 22 lakh) to launch her business left her with virtually nothing to live on.

"Everything had gone into the shop so I had no choice, but to create a diet on a very tight budget," said the former receptionist.

Her food for a week consisted of just four tins of soup, three cans of baked beans and two loaves of brown bread.

Cassie's strict regime would start with a breakfast of two slices of toast. Lunch was half a can of soup with two more slices of bread. Half a tin of beans on toast was her last meal at teatime.

In just two months 5ft 3ins Cassie went from 98.5 kg to 86 kg.

Cassie stuck to her thrifty diet and the weight continued to drop off. Now, after 20 months on the diet, Cassie tips the scales at just 63.5 kg.

"I can't believe I'm this thin," she smiled. "I was always a big kid. At the age of 16 I was a size 16 and at 18 a size 18 and a size 20 at 20."

She is now a petite size 8.

Cassie believes her new image makes her the perfect advert for her shop. "I keep pictures of the old me and a massive pair of size 20 jeans at the salon to show customers," she said. "Most of them are amazed at the transformation. If I can do it then they can."

Despite the recession her shop is bucking the trend by keeping the customers flocking in.

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