Embarrassing Dive Moment Leads to a Major Diet

A year ago, Blanaid O’Sullivan from Loudwater, England, weighed around 230 pounds. Her dress size was 22. But thanks to a moment on the dive boat that left her mortified, she weighs 140 pounds and wears a size 8.

O’Sullivan, 47, who works as a medical company director, said that constant travel had led to bad, on-the-go eating and too many dinners with clients. She became so heavy that she couldn’t haul herself unaided back onto the boat after a dive. The thought of not being able to operate effectively as a diver was the last straw. “I realized that if I didn’t do something about my weight, I might never get back into the water again,” she told Diver.

In January, O’Sullivan was awarded “Action Woman Slimmer of the Year” by the British chain of fitness clubs she belongs to. Because of her 90-pound weight loss and her regular exercise routine, O’Sullivan now slips into a size medium wetsuit.