'I lost 12 stone without jabs or surgery - but I have one big regret'

A woman who has lost 12 stone says she has one regret after dropping from her maximum weight of 300lbs. Krista Macinko, 5ft 7in and now 35-year-old, says her big regret is that she has so few photo memories.

She said: “I avoided the camera for years. I hid behind my kids. I offered to take the pictures. I cropped myself out. I just didn’t want to be seen. And now, I regret it more than anything.”

From birthday parties to holidays, Krista was barely visible. “I was present for every hug, every laugh, every late-night snuggle,” she says. “But there’s hardly any photo proof I existed. I thought I was sparing myself the pain of seeing how I looked, but I ended up robbing myself and my children of moments we’ll never get back.”

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Krista’s 12 stone weight loss wasn’t the result of crash diets or extreme plans. It was slow, deliberate, and rooted in sustainability, a message she passionately promotes online. " It took me four years to lose the weight, and I’ve kept it off for another year since then,” she says.

"I didn’t wake up one day and suddenly start eating 1,500 calories. I worked my way there.” Her journey began with a TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator — a free online tool that helped her understand how many calories she burned each day.

“For me, it was around 1,500 calories a day,” Krista explains. “So if I wanted to lose weight, I had to eat under that. If I wanted to maintain, I stayed around that number.”

The trick? She didn’t overhaul her diet overnight. And Krista has amassed more than 624K likes on TikTok by sharing her no-nonsense journey of losing and keeping off 170lbs (77kg).

“At first, I just shaved off a couple hundred calories each week until I hit my goal. That gradual drop made all the difference. It wasn’t easy, but it was doable.”

Perhaps Krista’s most surprising tip is that she didn’t cut out her favourite foods. “If you want the bread, eat the bread!” she laughs. “You just need to make sure it fits within your calorie allowance.” Even today, she plans ahead for meals out with friends.

“If I know I’m going for Italian later, I’ll have a lighter lunch. I’ll skip the heavy creamer in my coffee. Little adjustments here and there mean I can enjoy my food without guilt.”

Krista warns against restrictive diets. “They never worked for me. The minute I told myself I couldn’t have something, I’d end up bingeing on it later. So now I focus on balance and planning.”

And her golden rule? Track your food before you eat it. I use MyFitnessPal, but any tracker will do. Don’t wait until after — once you’ve eaten it, it’s too late to adjust. Plan it in advance and stay in control.”

Another myth Krista busts is the pressure to get your protein-to-carb ratio perfect from day one. “People obsess over macros at the start, but it’s just not necessary,” she says. “Of course protein’s important, especially for staying full. But in the beginning, just focus on one thing: hitting your calorie goal. Master that first. Macros can come later if you want to fine-tune.”

And what about workouts? Krista’s answer might surprise you. “No, you don’t have to exercise to lose weight,” she insists. “If you’re in a calorie deficit, you’ll lose weight, whether you hit the gym or not.”

That said, Krista loves how exercise now makes her feel. “It’s great for your energy and mental health, and it does give you more wiggle room with calories. But I don’t want people to feel like they have to work out to make progress. Fix the food first, the rest can follow.”

Despite all the hard-earned pounds lost, it’s the emotional weight of years spent hiding that lingers most. “Our kids don’t care what size we are. They care that we were there. And now, they notice I’m not in the pictures.”

It’s a message she shares with other mums struggling with body image: “If I could go back, I’d show up. Messy hair, double chin, big body and all. Photos aren’t about being perfect they’re about proof. And I was there. I just didn’t let myself be seen.”