Dramatic weight loss has changed a mum-of-five from Needham Market's life.

Mary Pattison, who works full-time as a dentist, has lost four stone and nine pounds by doing what she calls "food optimising" at a Slimming World group in Stowmarket.

She said: "I have calorie counted most of my life. What I decided was that I wanted to see food in a different way.

"I wanted to enjoy my meals not see them as numbers on a plate. I did not want to view foods as good or bad. I’m done with all that."

It is about changing your "mindset" around food not making certain foods "off-limits," she claims.

For example, she swapped out her "trigger" Doritos for foods she can control.

"I love home cooking, SW group give me so many ideas as to recipes you know when your getting fed up with the same meals every week," she added.

"I don’t think the problem was my relationship with food. I think it was my relationship with life. I always expected the worst and almost developed a siege mentality.

"When I looked at the diet I was sceptical that eating all that food could work, but after a big weight loss my first week I began to think differently about everything actually. I changed my attitude and that changed my weight and more than that my life.

"I dealt with my emotional obstacles one at a time. I tried new stuff. Some I hated some I loved. I went on a boot camp.

"I found out I could do anything even running I just was slower than other people. That experience reinforced what I was finding out in SW that life was for living not for hiding away from.

"Last year on my birthday I ran my first 10K. I cried. This year I moved to my forever home. It has a field and the sheep are coming soon and the donkeys hopefully next year.

"Life still has its stresses but I don’t use food to deal with them any more. I just deal with the problem and refuse to feel sorry for myself.

"Food optimising is freedom. It allows you to eat the food you love in a little different way. What’s not to love its a no brainier and it’s so easy just make sure a third of your plate is speedy. Easy peasy."