article: A  woman who was addicted to energy drinks  ballooned to a size 20 after spending £11,000 on her high-sugar habit in just four years. Jade Wimsey, 24, from Goole, East Yorkshire, would down up to seven cans a day at more than £1.50 a pop and totalling more than 1,540 calories. Her fizz addiction caused her weight to rocket to 17st 6lb. She is now a slim size 12 having shed six stone in 18 months by kicking the energy fuel for good. Jade Wimsey went from a size 12 to 20 in four years as she guzzled up to seven cans of energy drinks a day . 'I never associated energy drinks with gaining weight. I didn't really consider the hidden calorie or sugar content in them,' said Jade, who runs a blog called girlupnorth.co.uk. 'In fact, some energy drinks brands say the beverage speeds up your metabolism so I figured it was alright for me!' Jade's weight made her the victim of cruel jibes by male customers at the bar she worked at. She was even humiliated for her size by bullies on Facebook. 'I would down so many cans per day without thinking about it. Ditching energy drinks - alongside a healthy eating plan - made an astonishing difference to my weight.' Growing up, Jade had always lived a healthy lifestyle, eating home-cooked meals prepared by her mother. But that changed after she started university. Living away from home, Jade soon developed a taste for fast food and became hooked on energy drinks. Jade has reached her goal weight of 11 stone 6.5lbs after losing six stone from kicking her fizzy habit . 'Like most university students when they leave home for the first time, I started eating more takeaways and ready meals. 'Around the same time, I also discovered energy drinks. I loved the sweet taste of them and the caffeine kick they gave. 'Soon, I was relying on cans of the stuff to get me through the day. It got to the point where an energy drink was the first thing I drank when I got out of bed in the morning. 'I would insist on a can with every meal and then have a few extra as a snack. 'If I was driving, I'd down an energy drink. Then when I'd stopped at the petrol station, I'd pick up two more cans of the stuff. 'I would buy a can whenever I could get hold of one. If there was an offer on energy drinks, I would stock up on them. 'I could easily spend £10.50 on cans per day.' The 24-year-old from Yorkshire became the victim of cruel jibes as she ballooned to nearly 18 stone . In September 2013, she joined Slimming World, began a healthy diet and cut out energy drinks for good . Consuming between five to seven energy drinks every day, Jade piled on the pounds. She went from being a slim size 12/14 to a size 18. 'In my head, I thought it was fine to drink so many energy drinks. I never thought it would have any impact on my weight. 'But in reality, I was slurping all these empty calories.' Jade's fizzy beverage habit continued after she left university. Her graduate job as a bar supervisor allowed her to slurp energy drinks throughout the day. 'When I was working at the bar during the weekend, I would drink about seven energy drinks in a shift. 'I could take a can from the bar whenever I wanted and it helped me get through a busy night shift.' Jade was drinking so many cans of energy drinks  that it became a running joke with friends and family. She explained: 'My mates at work were always commenting about how many cans I had. 'Most of my family knew that I was really quite addicted to them too.' By the age of 22, Jade's weight had crept up to size 20 and her shape was affecting her confidence. 'I resigned myself to being the 'fat one' in my group of slim friends. I didn't like going out because I felt uncomfortable in clothes and I couldn't find anything that fitted me. 'My size stopped me from living my life to the full and socialising as much as I would have liked to.' 'I never associated energy drinks with gaining weight. I didn't really consider the hidden calorie or sugar content in them,' said Jade . Jade's weight also made her the victim of nasty comments and jibes. 'I felt self-conscious about how big I was,' she said. 'Working at the bar, a lot of the other female staff were bought drinks by male customers. But no one ever bought me a drink because I guess people thought I was unattractive. 'There were also a few occasions when men at the bar made unpleasant remarks about my appearance. 'But the final straw was when I came across someone's cruel Facebook status about me 'never having my head out of the fridge'. 'I was hurt but I decided that I was going to make changes in my life so that nobody could ever make me feel that way again.' As she started losing the weight, Jade started to get compliments and told she smiled a lot more now . The awful incident forced Jade to face her weight gain head-on. In September 2013, she joined Slimming World, began a healthy diet and cut out energy drinks for good. She explains: 'From the get-go, I decided I would go cold turkey on energy drinks. 'Quitting was difficult at first, I experienced a dip in energy and waking up in the morning without my normal kick was tough. 'But I found ways to cope with the withdrawal symptoms. For instance, I would keep a few healthy snacks with me when I was working a long shift at the bar so I wouldn't turn to a can. 'And I also really enjoyed the Slimming World diet. I felt I was eating delicious, homemade food again.' The pounds fell away and within four months, Jade had lost 2.5 stone. 'I started getting compliments about how I looked and friends started commenting about how much more I smiled now.' Snacks and drinks . 5 to 7 cans of energy drink per day and a chocolate bar . Breakfast . Chocolate biscuit or bar . Lunch . White bread sandwich and crisps . Dinner . Takeaway or ready meal . Snacks and drinks . Water and Diet Coke . Breakfast . Yoghurt and fruit . Lunch . Wholemeal sandwich with a side of cherry tomatoes or pickled baby beetroot . Dinner . Spaghetti bolognese . Jade went cold turkey on her energy drink addiction. She said she has more energy now than ever before! In January this year, Jade reached her goal weight of 11 stone and 6.5 lbs and she loves her new-found confidence. 'I feel like myself again. I actually want to go out and socialise now whereas before I'd think of any excuse to stay at home. 'I get drinks bought for me when I'm working at the bar now too!' Jade - who is married to pub landlord, Jason, 44 - wants to help others lose weight through her blog. She explains: 'I feel the sky is the limit now. I would love to travel and help others in their weight-loss journeys. 'I have more energy now than I ever had when I was drinking all those energy drinks!'
highlights: Jade Wimsey frittered away thousands on up to seven caffeine kicks a day .
  The 24-year-old ballooned to nearly 18 stone and suffered from cruel jibes .
  Jade, from East Yorkshire, is now a size 12 after crushing her addiction .
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