An Amman Valley couple have lost over a 100 lbs in weight after being faced with life-threatening illnesses.

Amanda Hull, 50, of Glanaman, has lost nearly four stone after serious medical difficulties spurred her into beginning a weight loss journey with Weight Watchers.

When weighing 18 stone 6.5lbs, Amanda’s doctor had warned her that her blood pressure was so bad that the anaesthetic she needed for spinal surgery could have killed her.

Amanda’s husband, Stephen Hull, 51, worked as a lorry driver and was hit by a lorry in the yard.

The brain injuries that resulted from the accident led Stephen to develop epilepsy and a severe fit left him needing to use a wheelchair and with paralysis of his whole left-hand side.

Amanda said: “I lost four stone seven years ago before my husband became seriously ill.

“After Stephen’s accident, I spent a lot of time in and out of hospital. I was eating Kit-Kats at his bedside and coming home to takeaways.

“I gave up trying to lose weight and ended up putting the weight back on again.”

Then in January last year, Amanda had the news that would make her re-start her weight loss.

“I had spinal surgery and needed to have other disks operated on,” she added.

“The doctor spoke to me and told me that I could delay further surgery by five or even 10 years if I were to lose weight.

“The doctor told me that with my blood pressure so high, the anaesthetic required for the operation could kill me.

“It was very scary, and as I got more scared the higher my blood pressure got.”

Amanda decided to join a Weight Watchers meeting in Ammanford Pensioners Hall last year and lost 21 and a half pounds in her first five months of becoming a member.

At this point husband Stephen decided he would join her and they would go on to lose weight together.

Stephen said: “I was losing weight before, but when I saw how much Amanda was losing I decided to join too.”

Recent studies have shown that partners of Weight Watchers members tend to lose weight at a similar rate; it’s an effect that has been termed The Ripple Effect.

“I saw the Ripple Effect in action before I had even heard of it,” added Amanda, who has now lost 53 pounds in total.

“When Stephen joined Weight Watchers in September as part of a Bring a Friend offer, by coincidence he happened to weigh the same as me on that week.

“That was it. The competition was on.”

Stephen has since lost 51lbs.

Amanda, who is a full-time carer for Stephen, said “Now I’m cooking a lot more and trying new veggies.

“I’m not yet at my goal weight of 11 stone 6lbs, but I’m discharged from the hospital now, the bone graft is doing well.

“My discs were blown and were pushing on my spinal cord so I lost some sensation in my hand but now the feelings are starting to come back. I’m not scared anymore.”

Amanda has been so inspired by her own Weight Watchers coach Paula that she successfully applied to become a coach herself in venues across Carmarthen.