A 19-year-old from Soham who would struggle to find clothes that fit has lost a life-changing 11 stone.

Catherine Garters says that she is "happier, healthier and more confident" since dropping from a size 20/22 to a 10/12.

She was awarded Slimming World's 'Club 50' presented to members who have lost an incredible 50 per cent of their starting weight.

Catherine was also in the top eight finalists nationally in the 2019 Young Slimmer of the Year competition, after going from 21st 1lb to 10 stone.

She said: "I've been overweight throughout most of my childhood and all of my teens.

"I look so different that people who I haven't seen for a while often can't believe I'm the same person or walk right past me in the street.

"My weight impacted every aspect of my life, from struggling to find clothes that fit, let alone ones that I liked, to not being able to do everyday tasks without being out of breath."

Catherine joined the Soham Slimming World group, run by Sarah McCambridge, in January 2018.

She followed the club's food optimising eating plan and swapped takeaways and family sized chocolate bars for homemade dinners and healthy snacks.

She said: "I still enjoy all my favourite meals like burgers and chips, curries and roast dinners, but I've learned how to make small changes like using lean meat and cooking with low calorie spray instead of oil.

"Even now I'm studying at university away from home, food optimising is just part of my life and it fits so easily, even with a student lifestyle.

"My smile is definitely real now."

Regular swims, runs, cycles and even just walks to the shops rather than taking a car are now part of Catherine's lifestyle.

Sarah McCambridge, who runs the Soham Slimming World group, said: "The changes we've seen in Catherine are incredible.

"I hope her success will inspire other people who'd like to lose weight by forming new lifestyle habits."

The Soham group meets every Monday at 9.30am, 5.30pm and 7.30pm at Soham Comrades Club and every Tuesday at 5.30pm at St Andrews CE School.

To join call Sarah on 07877 452954 or pop along.