A former gym bunny has managed to shed five and a half stone after turning her back on takeaways and meals out.

Growing up, Charlotte Mears, 27, from Buckinghamshire, worked out regularly to maintain her slim figure but as her social life became more demanding her waistline began to expand.

Going for dinner with friends and getting takeaways, Mears began to skip the gym and steadily gained weight hitting 14st 12lb at her biggest.

At a size 18, her 5ft 6in frame put her Body Mass Index (BMI) at 33.5 – classified as obese by the NHS.

“I loved going out for Chinese. My favourite was crispy chilli beef or satay chicken," she said.

“I'd be out for dinner twice a week, then cooking unhealthily, too. I wasn't exercising and just eating more and more."

At her heaviest, she would skip breakfast, then snack throughout the day on biscuits and cakes before tucking into unhealthy dinners like pizza or chips.

Fed up with feeling “sluggish and uncomfortable,” the office worker decided to make a change after being inspired by dieters on Instagram.

Instead, she ditched dining out completely and rather than meeting pals for dinner, enjoyed five or six mile walks with them every week.

“I was tired of feeling unhealthy, so I looked up other weight loss stories on Instagram and felt really inspired,' she said.

“I know people say you should be happy whatever size you are, but I wasn't. Now, I feel much better. I've got much more energy, and feel like I can always be on the go.”

Now, weighing just 9st 1lb and wearing a size eight, Mears says she now eats porridge and fruit for breakfast, chicken and vegetables for lunch and a healthy home-cooked meal like vegetable chilli con carne for dinner.

She also works out five nights a week, upping her routine to 15 minutes of sprints on the treadmill, 10 to 20 minutes on the stair climber machine and lifting weights.

Since embarking on her transformation, Mears has been regularly posting about her new healthy lifestyle and admits that she still enjoys meals out every now and then, but makes sure she balances them with eating healthily in the week.

Sharing advice for those hoping to lose weight, Mears added, “Just take it day by day, meal by meal, and if you slip up, don't punish yourself too hard – just try and get back on track.