A woman has died after her attempts to lose weight saw her lose 3 stone on an extreme diet in an attempt to get slim for her wedding.
Samantha Clowe, who was 34, was 17st 6lbs when she started the Lighter Life weight loss program. The company provides weight loss advice telling participants to stick to a 500 calories a day, which she stuck to until her death 11 weeks later.
At the inquest, it was revealed that after visiting her mother in Southport, Lancarshire, a few hours later her fiancée Andrew Smith found her collapsed on the landing of the Leeds home they shared. The Home Office pathologist Dr Alfredo Walker said that after a post-mortem the cause of death was not established but added that “It may be related to her low calorie diet and weight loss.”
A narrative verdict was recorded and the West Yorkshire coroner David Hinchcliff said that it was “highly likely” that Samantha, a graduate of Leeds University, died due to her heart stopping beating, known as cardiac arrhythmia.
At the inquest, those present heard that Samantha followed the advice of Lighter Life and visited her doctor for weight loss advice and to ensure she could safely start the program before she began. She also had two monthly check-ups with her GP while on the program.
To lose weight, she ate the low-calorie soups, shakes and snacks sold by the company and regularly attended meetings, where she received weight loss tips and weight loss advice, as well as being weighed.
Lighter Life is a program created for those who are severely overweight, with a Body Mass Index of over 25. At the meetings as well as receiving weight loss tips participants take part in cognitive behavioural therapy to change their relationship with food.
Those with lower BMIs receive weight loss advice telling them to eat three food packs a day plus a conventional meal, while those who have a BMI over 30 are meant to only eat 4 food packs a day and no normal meals.
The company promise that their diet is “fast, simple, safe and sustainable” and a spokesperson expressed regret for Miss Clowe’s death, though they refuted any suggestion that her death was related to the program.
