A SLIMMER from North Yorkshire who lost more than eight stone in six months is aiming to complete the Great North Run.

A year ago hairdresser Tina Oliver, 44, from Harrogate, was so overweight she struggled to stand up at work and puffed and panted if she went up the stairs.

She lost the weight through healthy eating, exercise, and by using a Malory Band slimming aid.

Now Tina is preparing to complete the half-marathon in Newcastle in about two hours.

She said: “Last September, when I set out on my diet and exercise plan, I could barely walk, and now I can run 10k without stopping and I’m doing the Great North Run.

“I’m so excited. I never could have imagined walking a mile, never mind running a half-marathon.”

Tina, who weighed nearly 19 stone and was a dress size 26 with a Body Mass Index of 43, was spurred on to lose weight after being warned by her GP that she was in danger of becoming diabetic.

A trip to the dentist revealed her teeth were rotting away due to years of eating chocolate and sweets.

She hit the gym and joined a local slimming group, then a friend told her about the £25 Malory Band, a cord that fits round the waist and is a constant reminder to the user to watch what they eat.

Tina said: “Before I would live on chocolate, biscuits and crisps all day as I was working as a hairdresser. It was easier just to grab something rather than have a sit-down meal.

She said the diabetes warning was the shock she needed. She said: “I started using the band and eating a healthy, balanced diet and, as soon as my stomach expanded, the band would tighten.”

Now Tina has porridge or muesli for breakfast, snacks on fruit and yoghurt, then has a salad for lunch and fish or chicken and veg for dinner.

She has hit her 11 stone target and has lost 16 inches from her waist and 15 from her chest and hips.

She said: “I just wish I’d done it ten years ago. When I cross the finish line, I’ll remember what I was just a year earlier, staring at a pile of cakes, and feel very proud.”

Malory band creator Penny Mallory said the cord wasn’t a magic potion but was a “constant gauge of size” and a helpful “external conscience”.