A WOMAN who weighed more than 16 stones and was advised by her doctor to lose weight to stop her migraines has shed more than six stone.

Frances Farman, who lives in Throop, weighed 16 stone 11lbs and dropped an astonishing six stones after seeking help from a slimming clinic.

The maxillofacial dental nurse said she had always been a yo-yo dieter and tried every diet going but was unable to shift the weight.

"I suffered for nearly a year with severe headaches and migraines so much that the migraines would wake me up in the morning and cause me to vomit," she said. "I began to think there was something seriously wrong with me, so I went to see my GP.

“He told me that it may be caused by being overweight, although, at that point, I didn’t really see myself as overweight, just curvy. So that was the kick start I needed to begin my weight loss."

Frances joined The Slimming Clinic on Old Christchurch Road after it was recommended by two family members who had both lost weight with them.

She now weighs 10 stone 9lbs and her health and confidence are both benefitting from her weight loss.

“Due to my job as a nurse I would often get home late at night starving so I would eat everything and anything just before I went to sleep," she said. "It became a vicious cycle.

“When I have lost weight before, it’s always been short term and I was always starving. I felt deprived and gave up again and again. I tried Slim Fast, Atkins, Slimming Word and Weight Watchers. The Slimming Clinic has given me the tools to succeed without being starving."

She said the clinic had helped her to understand the science behind losing weight and that her transformation had changed her life.

“I love being able to go into a shop and know a size 10 dress will fit me," she said. "I used to be an 18-20. I love going out in the evenings with friends now. I used to always feel like the fat friend but now I'm the same as my friends, I fit in.”