A woman has shared her happiness after halving her body weight and curing her health problems in the space of a year as she began to fear for her life.

Tanya Miller, of Swindon, could not walk 100 metres or stand to cook proper meals as the doctor recommended surgery at 36.

However, she managed to cure herself of pain by losing 13.5 stone in 13 months.

Tanya said: “I didn't want my kids to have had to bury me by the time I was 40 because I've had a stroke or a heart attack because I just didn't change how I was.

“I had had enough and I didn't want the surgery, and I thought I could do it myself.”

Tanya used to order a takeaway for herself about five times a week due to the pain of standing at the cooker, and had reached 25st 10.5lbs when she started to lose weight.

The doctor suggested surgery, but Tanya believed this would not cure her underlying food addiction, and thought ‘I can do it myself. I know I can’.

Swindon Advertiser: Tanya has turned her life around Tanya has turned her life around (Image: Tanya Miller)She found her local Slimming World group in Penhill, where she went to weekly meetings.

Despite being the heaviest at the meetings, she found them motivating.

She said: “I was really nervous because obviously I was a big girl and I was the biggest in that group when I joined. 

“But no one judged, no one was looked at and everyone was really welcoming. 

“It was like an instant Slimming World family.”

Her daughter used to join her at meetings for support, and now she is loving being able to spend more time with her three kids.

She and her daughter now walk together, with their biggest distance in one day being 18 miles, while Tanya also completed a 227 mile walk for charity.

She said: “It's encouraging my children to be active as well, whereas I was before just sitting around and it made them do the same.

“But I think if you become active yourself and you can walk to places like Coate Water and Lydiard, it makes them want to do it as well.

“So it is like giving them a positive attitude towards food as well as being active.”

Tanya is enjoying her new life being more active, and goes for three walks a day, putting her headphones on and watching the world go by.

Tanya said: “I don't even think how I cook anymore. It's just become a habit. 

“And I hope I'm around more years to come for my children now.”