A mum who put on so much weight she had to stop on the way to work and buy new trousers – then got asked in a meeting if she was pregnant – did her own diet research and came up with a “Britalian” way to lose six stone in eight months eating pizza, pasta and wine. Francesca Bell, a 41-year-old marketing manager, said she had tried “everything” to lose weight – fad diets, hypnosis, meal replacement shakes and homeopathic remedies – but “nothing worked”.
At 5ft 4in tall, she said she reached her heaviest weight of 95kg (14st 13lbs) in 2024 and could “barely fit into any of her clothes” – and one colleague even asked her if she was expecting her third baby at a work conference. After returning from a trip to Italy, Francesca decided to look into “how the Italians eat” – and read studies from organisations such as Harvard and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
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She set a calorie limit and developed “golden rules” to follow based on Italian habits, such as not drinking milky coffees after 11am and eating a sweet breakfast, and she said she noticed the weight dropping off. From May to December 2024, she lost 6st 4lbs while eating more than 365 croissants, indulging in pizza, pasta and puddings, and enjoying wine – and she has nicknamed it “The Britalian Diet”
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Francesca had to buy new clothes after putting on weight
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Francesca hated how she looked in holiday pictures
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Francesca told PA Real Life: “This journey wouldn’t have been sparked without that trip and everything that led up to it. I put on so much weight that I looked like I was expecting a baby, but even that wasn’t enough to incentivise me at the time.
“It doesn’t seem real and I’ve changed so much, both physically and emotionally – I’ve actually got a jawline and cheekbones! I’ve learned that it’s all about balance and that you don’t have to remove all the enjoyment from your life – it’s possible to lose weight and still have the things you love.”
Francesca said she has tried several fad diets, hypnosis apps and meal replacement shakes, but none has been “sustainable”. “The worst one I tried was homeopathic drops,” she explained.
“You put drops on your tongue every morning and they’re supposed to help you lose weight, coupled with a restrictive diet. I think that one lasted for about two days before I realised, who can stick to this?”
She started a diet based on Italian habits
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Francesca said she was “never massively overweight”, but during the pandemic, the weight “crept on very gradually” and she reached her heaviest of 95kg (14st 13lbs) in 2024. She said she felt “fed up, embarrassed and frustrated”, but one memory from a work conference in March of that year stands out as one of the “worst moments”.
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“I work remotely, so I don’t have to wear corporate clothing all that often, but I went to my wardrobe the night before and tried on all of my business-type outfits and I couldn’t get into anything,” Francesca said. “I had to actually stop at the MandS on the way and buy a larger pair of trousers and I squeezed myself into a size 18.
“I was in the changing room and I just cried and I thought, how did I let this happen? Then, to add insult to injury, at that same conference, I got asked if I was pregnant by a work colleague in front of everyone.”
Francesca ate pizza and pasta as well as drinking wine
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The weight dropped off thanks to the Britalian diet
Francesca booked a “bucket-list trip to Italy” with her husband and two children for the end of April, and organised for some professional family photos to be taken. She hoped this would motivate her to lose weight but she said she “hadn’t lost a pound by the time (they) got there”.
It was only when she saw the photos afterwards, which she said she “hated”, that she “finally got into the right mindset”. “There’s something about crappy holiday photos. It just makes you think, ‘I’ve had enough of this’,” Francesca said.
After returning home, Francesca said she started thinking about the trip, the people they had met and the food they had eaten. She said she had read that Italy had been ranked one of the healthiest countries in the world and, since she did not want to “get back on the restrictive dieting treadmill”, she started doing some research online.
Francesca says the diet has transformed her
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She lost more than six stone in eight months
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“I just love Italian food and I wondered how they were able to stay slim while eating pizza, pasta and gelato,” she said. “I thought, if they can do it, then surely I can just figure out what they’re doing and replicate it.”
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Francesca said she read articles and medical studies and trials, learned about Italian “habits and traditions around food and movement” and spoke to several Italians about their diet. While certain aspects were “common sense”, such as eating more fruit and vegetables, she learned others were “more interesting” – not drinking milky coffees after 11am and always eating a sweet breakfast, such as a croissant with jam. She set an average daily limit of around 1,400 calories, reduced the ultra-processed foods she consumed and ate larger meals for lunch and dinner, such as a sandwich with salad, pasta, pizza and lemon and garlic chicken with vegetables and potatoes.
Francesca said she started walking 10,000 steps every day but continued to drink wine with dinner, just in smaller glasses, and had dessert such as gelato or a fruit pudding. “I learned the weight was going without being starving all the time and I didn’t have to cook misery meals like grilled chicken and lettuce. It was just brilliant,” she said.
Francasca says it is about changing your approach
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From May to December 2024, Francesca said she lost 88lbs (6st 4lbs) and now weighs around 53kg (8st 5lbs), dropping from a UK size 18 to 8. She said she came up with the nickname “The Britalian Diet” while she was in the shower and she has even written a book with the same name, discussing the “habits and unwritten rules” that have transformed her life.
She believes savouring meals, prioritising quality ingredients and focusing on balance over deprivation are key to losing weight sustainably, along with having the right mindset. She said: “You get to this point where you think, nothing works and nothing will ever work.
“It’s impossible, I can’t lose weight, I’m just going to be stuck in this frame of mind forever. But I’ve realised you don’t need a restrictive fad diet to lose the weight. I’m no longer in that constant cycle of stress and now I just feel at peace.”