An ex-taxi driver who gained massive weight after snacking behind the wheel for years has shed over 100 pounds.
Jo Knight, 51, now weighs less than she did as a teenager after undergoing a gastric bypass in October 2023.
The mom-of-seven saw the weight creep on during her pregnancies after finding “comfort in eating.”
She piled on more weight while working as a taxi driver after snacking while driving—getting through a packet of biscuits and three bags of chips each shift.
At her biggest, Knight weighed 294 pounds and was squeezing into a size 24.
After struggling to drop the weight and developing type 2 diabetes, Knight waited three years for weight loss surgery from the NHS.
She managed to shed a whopping 100 pounds in 10 months—dropping down to 194 pounds and a size 14.
Knight had ‘‘always dreamed’' of joining the running club that passed her house every week and, after slimming down, finally found the confidence to sign up.
She now completes regular 5Ks with the group she had seen from afar for over 10 years.
“As a taxi driver, I would be sitting and snacking all day,” said Knight, who is currently not working, from Saltash, Cornwall. “I struggled to walk without losing my breath and couldn’t run around after the children.
“Since losing weight, I’ve started running with the club, I love it.
“I’m fitter and slimmer now than when I was a teenager.”
She said she was always the biggest one at school and experienced bullying.
But as an adult, she saw the weight really creep on after she fell pregnant with her first child. After her fourth child, she struggled to find time to make healthy meals.
Knight said she would set a “good example” for breakfast, eating Weetabix with her children before taking them to school. But once the children were in bed, she would indulge in late-night takeaways like McDonalds meals.
“I was always bigger, and I found myself turning to food for comfort,” she said. “It was hard work running around after four kids, so I always picked quick, convenient meals.
“I also loved a Toby Carvery and would pile my plate high with food.”
Knight went on to have three more children—Charlie, 19, Tom, 17, and Lily, 16—whom she still lives with at home.
At her biggest, she weighed 294 pounds and struggled to take the kids to the park without losing her breath.
In 2019, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and got herself a job as a taxi driver. But Knight found the weight continued to creep on while working in her new role.
“It was a stationary job—I spent four hours sitting behind the wheel,” she said. “I could easily get through three bags of crisps and a handful of biscuits during a tea break.”
After trying “every diet under the sun,” she said, she was desperate for help.
In 2020, she spoke to a doctor who put her on a waiting list for a gastric bypass from the NHS.
After waiting three years, Knight had an operation to remove a portion of her stomach at Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, in October 2023.
After recovering on a liquid diet, the mom-of-seven says she slowly reintroduced solid food and watched the weight “fall away.”
As she got slimmer, Knight developed a love for exercising.
“I saw them run past my house three or four times a week for 10 years,” she said. “I always dreamed of joining, but I was never fit enough.
“When I finally signed up, I absolutely fell in love with running.”
Knight now joins runs in the park regularly and was referred to classes at Saltash Leisure Centre for their Healthwise scheme.
Staff at the leisure center helped Knight keep on track and gave her good advice on what she should be doing and when. In less than 10 months, Knight shed a whopping 100 pounds, now weighs 196 pounds, and fits a size 14.
But she wants people to be aware that weight loss surgery is still “hard work.”
“Surgery is not the easy way out,” she said. “It’s a complete lifestyle change, and it takes hard work to maintain it.
“But I don’t regret a thing. My kids are so proud of me and I’m really happy with [how] far I’ve come.”
