McDonald’s secret eater is unrecognisable after slimming down to a size 8

A woman has revealed her dramatic weight loss transformation after ditching her binge eating habits and secret late-night McDonald’s trips.

Alice Garrett, 24, from Milton Keynes, decided her bad habits were enough after being questioned by friends and family over her weight, and slimmed down from 13st to 9st. 

The recent graduate would binge drink and secret eat most nights – sneaking to McDonald’s when everyone was asleep – which led her to not being able to walk up flights of stairs, losing her hair and not being happy in her body.

Now, Alice has gained a good relationship with food and has gone from a size 16 to a slender size eight by eating well, working out, and lifting weights.

She explained: ‘When I was at uni, I would wake up get a Deliveroo takeaway, eat all day as well as secret eating and hiding it. If everyone was asleep, I would go and eat more and get a takeaway or go to the shop.

‘If I was sad, I would eat, and if I was happy or excited, I would eat. At home, I would also go downstairs and binge the fridge at night. It was a comfort thing I did, and it was all in my head for no reason.

‘I would eat a lot of takeaways. My weakness is carbs so I would have eight slices of toast and feel guilty, so I would eat more in a cycle.

‘Something just sparked in me. I was so unhappy, and I had such low confidence. I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without being out of breath. I was ill all the time, my hair would fall out – I felt so rubbish, and I struggled to move around.

‘I knew I needed to do something about it. All I did was binge drink and comfort eat.

‘I was drinking and going out most nights, not thinking about my body or exercise for three years. I was having the best time as I was at uni, and I was living with my friends. I was 83 kg at my heaviest, which is around 13 stone.

‘I cared about make-up and clothes but not my body. It made me become really down, and I had this mental battle as I had put on four stone at uni.

‘But then Covid happened, uni stopped, and I had to come home, which was so tough. It was a rough time for me.

‘It got to the point where people would make comments, and my friends were asking me if I was ok as I was putting weight on quickly.

‘I was secret eating, I was going to McDonald’s and not wanting to be seen, I would hide it.

Since moving home from university, Alice needed a change in her life to spark new, healthier habits so she reached out to a personal trainer, who she claims saved her life.

She also has a much better relationship with food now too and has ditched unhealthy habits and binge eating.

‘I set myself a lot of goals, and I’ve achieved so much. I’ve run a half marathon, and I’m now training for another. I went from not being able to walk up a flight of stairs to now running half marathons.

Alice adds: ‘I reached out to a personal trainer and did it for the first year. She taught me so much. I learnt about nutrition and a good diet.

‘I had tried every diet. I wouldn’t eat carbs and cut things out but now I eat more than ever and still lose fat.

‘My PT saved me, I needed that year to learn and then eventually I stopped with her and have been doing it all by myself for the past 18 months.

‘I’ve now lost just over four stone and I feel like such a different person. I’m doing lots of walking and weightlifting. The actual weight loss was from all of the walking and eating healthier and less.

‘Everyone was so proud and happy for me. They saw the difference in my confidence too.

‘I have three meals a day, but my secret is to eat what I want as long as it’s nutritious and to keep walking and being active.

‘The old me would never dream of doing a half marathon. I always looked at my slim friends thinking I would never look like them – and now here I am.

‘I used to wear baggy clothes. One day, I walked downstairs in leggings and a top. My mum was so shocked at what I looked like, as I was always in baggy clothes.

‘When I started wearing what I wanted, people would notice the transformation and everyone has been so supportive. I’ve gone from a size 16 to a size eight.’