A 14 stone mum lost almost half her body weight after her 10-year marriage broke down – crediting her phenomenal weight loss to ghost hunting.
Linzi Steer said she piled on the pounds after gorging on takeaways and sugary treats when her marriage went downhill, with her waistline ballooning to a size 16.
The 5ft 2ins ghost hunter said the tipping point happened in August 2023 when she looked in the mirror and barely recognised the bloated “haggard” face staring back at her.
READ MORE: ‘I dropped from a size 18 to a 6 – but there’s been a big drawback’
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Determined to turn things around, the mum-of-four overhauled her eating habits and increased her daily exercise, including conducting more ghost hunts she shares on paranormal page Linzi’s Para Quest.
As the pounds started to drop off and her confidence blossomed, Linzi soon started dating a man she met on TikTok. The smitten mum-of-four credits her new slinky size 8, 8st 1lb figure to healthy eating, chasing ghosts and an active love life.
(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
Linzi, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, said: “My ex husband and I were together about 10 years, when I first met him I wasn’t like I am now, I always looked after myself.
“Then it turned into a vicious cycle, I was really unhappy in my life and the state of my marriage so I comfort ate. [After we broke up] I looked at myself in the mirror and I thought ‘what the hell?’ I looked haggard, I wasn’t looking after myself.
“One morning I woke up and thought ‘right Linzi you’ve got to get up and get yourself sorted out’. I started to eat more whole foods instead of convenience foods and started to feel so much better.
“Now I’m in a new relationship, obviously there’s a lot of exercise. I’ve got a lot of time to make up for it, I’m now happy and healthy.
“I can also credit my weight loss to such an active job chasing ghosts, I go all over the place and walk a hell of a lot.”
(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A combination of poor food choices and the volume of food Linzi scoffed contributed to her bulging waistline and sad mood. Linzi said: “I was eating all the wrong things at all the wrong times, I wasn’t disciplined like I am now.
”I got pretty lazy, it was a horrible, vicious circle. I’ve got two herniated discs in the bottom of my back and the weight on my back was agony.
”I don’t do any stupid, crazy diets. I eat healthily, I love fruit and veg, and I’m constantly drinking water. It keeps your skin in lovely condition.
”I’ll have fruit throughout the day and at tea time I’ll have chicken and veggies. In the evening I have a few nuts, I don’t eat chocolate, crisps or sweets.
”Occasionally I might have a little glass of wine, why shouldn’t I? I feel empowered and sexy, I’ve got my confidence back.”
(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
As Linzi grappled with a new healthy eating and exercise regimen, she met her new partner over TikTok in December. After six months of messaging, they met in his home country of Albania in June.
The pair hit it off with Linzi describing their relationship as like a ‘Mills & Boon’ romance and saw her extending her trip by five days to spend more time with him.
Linzi said: “I’ve met a lovely man over there, I’ve been talking to him since Christmas, we met through TikTok. He added me on WhatsApp and every single day since then we’ve talked.
“Then it progressed and he asked me ‘will you come here?’ I thought ‘sod it, life’s too short’, I booked an apartment and flights and off I went.
“I was nervous as hell. When I walked through [the airport] he was stood there with his arms out and from that moment he never left my side.
“I should have been there for a week but I added five extra days because he didn’t want me to come home. I was getting feelings. On the day I was coming home we said goodbye and I was sobbing.
“I knew from that moment when I was leaving him, that’s where my heart was. I’ve got my gorgeous, Albanian fella now.
“The Albanian culture is very different from English culture, they’re so respectful and he treats me with so much love. I feel like I’ve found my soulmate even in this short space of time, it’s like a Mills & Boon romance.
“I’m going back in July for three months, you never know I might end up living over there. I’m living my best life at 55 years old, it’s never too late.”
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