I was eating 20,000 calories a day with my triple pizza habit and ballooned to 42st – then six words changed me

The Sun

01-07-2025

TUCKING into the final slice of her cheese feast pizza, Teresa Parent's stomach grumbled.
She might have just devoured a pizza large enough to feed two but her insatiable appetite meant that Teresa still had room for more.
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Putting the takeaway box to one side, she lifts the lid of her second large pizza of the evening, and she has a third to demolish after that.
It was part of a 20,000 calorie eating problem that saw the 45-year-old balloon to over 42st and saw her teetering on the brink of death.
'I struggled with diabetes, high blood pressure, and I even had a mild heart attack in 2016,' Teresa, from Long Beach, California, says.
'When I heard the words 'you won't be alive in five years' from doctors it shook me.
'That was the wake-up call I needed.'
That set her on the path to an astonishing weight loss journey, shedding a staggering 33st and completely transforming her life.
The teacher initially lost 12st naturally through diet and exercise before undergoing gastric bypass surgery, which helped her shed an additional 14st.
Teresa's weight first spiralled out of control after her brother took his own life in 2001.
"When he died I completely checked out," Teresa previously said.
"It was the very first traumatic loss I experienced and I blamed myself for not being able to help my brother.
"I stopped taking care of myself.
'My mother killed herself a couple of years later and their deaths played a role in lack of self love and self care."
Teresa soon began emotional eating to deal with her depression and self-hate.
She says: "I was eating a large pizza almost daily and stopping at fast food drive thru restaurants and hiding in my car while I ate.
"Then I would go home and eat triple decker peanut butter sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, and tons of crisps, cookies, and junk food on a daily basis."
By 2016 Teresa, then 38, was so morbidly obese that she suffered a mild heart attack, which motivated her to seek medical advice.
It was then that doctors warned her she could be dead in five years if she didn't lose weight.
Before she could undergo surgery Teresa put herself on a strict diet, restricting her calorie intake dramatically and walking as much as she could.
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Between 2017 and 2018 she lost 12st from diet and exercise alone and in 2018 she had gastric bypass surgery to reduce the size of her stomach which saw the final 14st melt away.
But after losing the weight, she was left with three stone of excess skin, which caused significant discomfort and emotional distress.
'The loose skin impacted my entire life—mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally,' she admits.
'It made me look much bigger than I actually was.
'It was painful, embarrassing, and shameful.'
Teresa underwent a Fleur-de-Lis abdominoplasty, removing the hanging skin from her abdomen.
'All the skin is gone. It's done,' she says.
'That skin was literally the last piece of all my grief. I made myself feel bad for so long, but I deserve to be happy.
'I used to be an 8XL, and now I fit into a size 12. I never imagined this would be my life.'
Teresa now helps others struggling with their weight to follow in her footsteps.
Her TikTok is now a space where she shares recipes, weight loss tips, and raw, unfiltered moments of her journey.
And she has gained over a million followers with her healthier versions of classic comfort foods, proving that losing weight doesn't mean giving up the meals you love.
'People comment on my videos all the time, saying, 'That's not really healthy or nutritious,' but let me tell you something—this works for me,' she says.
'I've lost 33st and kept it off for years. I've found ways to make my favourite foods healthier, and that's what matters.'
From high-protein desserts to guilt-free comfort meals, Teresa's recipes have captivated an army of fans.
Her recently released cookbook, Now We're Cooking, created in collaboration with Chef Rich Eaton, is flying off the shelves.
'I share my food to help others who have battled obesity,' she says.
Losing weight doesn't mean deprivation—it means learning how to make smarter choices.
'If I can enjoy dessert every single day without feeling guilty, then so can you.'
Beyond the kitchen, Teresa's transformation has influenced those closest to her, including her husband, Mike.
'People ask me all the time, 'How does your healthy lifestyle influence Mike?' Well, when we first started dating, he would eat big ice cream sandwiches all the time,' she says.
'Now, after a year and a half together, this way of living is our new normal. Instead of reaching for processed junk, he asks for the healthier versions I make. It's just what we do.'
Their love story is another incredible milestone in Teresa's journey.
She married Mike, the love of her life on February 22, something she never imagined would happen at her heaviest.
'I never thought I'd find love at my heaviest,' she says.
'But I worked on myself, and now I get to share my life with someone who truly supports and loves me."
Despite her incredible transformation, Teresa is open about the ongoing struggles she faces.
'Since weighing over 42st, I've battled terrible arthritis, neuropathy, and shooting pains in my feet,' she says.
'I try to manage it with CBD and holistic remedies because I don't like taking medication. It's been a game-changer.
'People think that just because I've lost the weight, everything is perfect. It's not.
'I brutalised my body for years, and I still have scars. But I am so much happier and healthier than I've ever been in my entire life.'
Determined to help others break free from the cycle of obesity and self-doubt, she and her business partner, Tonya, launched the chart-topping podcast Transform Your Life_ with Teresa and Tonya_.
Since its debut last year, the show has skyrocketed to the No.1 weight loss podcast, proving just how many people are desperate for honest conversations about extreme weight loss, mental health, and body image.
But they didn't stop there. Teaming up with Dr. Eric Smith from TLC's 1,000-Lb Sisters and Pop Recovery Systems, the duo created the Transformation Academy—a game-changing online platform offering nutrition guidance, fitness plans, mental health support, recipes, and expert-led advice on bariatric and skin removal surgery.
The response has been overwhelming.
'This is so much bigger than weight loss,' she says.
'It's about giving people their lives back.'
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