bebe_butters
Full Member
My journey from FAT to THIN …
I’ve been overweight since I was in primary school, I didn’t fit in and I never had many friends, I was very, very shy!
At home my dad use to be tease and say nasty things like ‘no wonder you’re fat eating like that’ and ‘look you’ve got stretch marks because you’re so fat’ and he used to call me a pig every time I ate in front of him so I stopped eating in front of him and I would sneak food to my room and binge.
In secondary school I looked twice the size of all my class mates and I got even more shy, I thought if I never said anything then nobody would notice me (not that they could miss me!!)
When I was 15 I started going out with a lad who was mentally and sometimes physically abusive but my self-esteem was so low I believed I deserved it, I ended up staying with him for 5 years!!
I went to university when I was 18 but I felt even more of an outsider, I was still in the bad relationship so my confidence was non-existent, I stopped going out and I just ate takeaways and slept all day, I stopped going to lectures because I struggled to fit behind the desks!!
I got so depressed that my mum came and took me home, if she hadn’t of done that I wouldn’t be here today! When I got home I was in a very bad way, obese, depressed, rock bottom self-esteem, and loads of debt and still in an abusive relationship! It was a struggle to get out of bed every day…I felt like a big fat failure and I wanted to be dead!!
About 6 months after leaving university I applied for a job as a bus driver, I passed my test first time and I started to come out of my shell a bit, it was easy to put a front on when you’re one of the only young girls working in a mainly male environment, then I met the man of my dreams (except both of us were too shy to say anything!!)
At a friend’s wedding reception our work mates finally got us together and 8 months later we got married, although it was one of the happiest days of my life I can’t look at any of the pictures without hating myself, I was huge!! Working long hours, being content and living off takeaways hadn’t done me any favours!!
I decided to start slimming world because we wanted to start a family and we were struggling to conceive and I knew that losing some weight could help and after losing a stone I fell pregnant and stopped going to group!!
After giving birth I started suffering with post natal depression and was put on anti-depressants, I ate because I felt down and I ate because I was tired and piled a couple more stone on, I decided to start slimming world again… I lost a stone, fell pregnant and stopped going to group!!
When I was 7 months pregnant we decided to move to Manchester…150 miles from home! We didn’t know anyone, we didn’t know the area very well and Martyn lost his job, the only place I went was the doctors and the hospital!
3 months after I gave birth I looked bigger than at 9 months pregnant! I struggled to do simple things like bend and pick my daughter up and walk up the stairs, I had horrendous back pain and looking after a toddler and a new born was near on impossible, post natal depression was back with a vengeance and I hit the self-destruct button, Martyn and I were arguing all the time and all I was doing is eating, sleeping and crying!!
I went to the family planning clinic to get put on the pill and when I asked for the one I used to take the nurse said my BMI was too high to take that one, so I asked how much weight I’d have to lose to be able to take it she said ‘oh a considerable amount’!
The day I decided I had to do something about my weight was the day I only made it halfway up the stairs and had to sit down to catch my breath, I knew then that if I wanted to be around for my girls and see them grow up I had to lose weight!!
I joined slimming world for the final time on the 19th may 2009 and when the scales said 19 stone 6lb I wanted to run away and cry!! When I got home I got Martyn to take pictures of me and I measured myself and I started to keep a diary, I took new pictures and re-measured myself every month and seeing the difference has kept me on track.
To start with nobody believed I could eat so much and lose weight, but I have proved I can, I have always had a big appetite and with slimming world I know I can eat until I’m full and still lose weight!
I started to post pictures of my meals and weight loss on Facebook and now a lot of people I know from school have started slimming world and many of my family members and family friends are following the plan too and say that I am their inspiration! Even my husband’s ex-partner (the mum of his older kids) has been inspired to join slimming world and has lost 3 stone so far because my step daughters rave on about all the yummy meals we enjoy as a family, some of our favourites are lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise and Sunday roasts, with slimming world it’s easy to feed a family on a tight budget and my favourite recipe book is the family feasts for a fiver book.
I have lost 8 stone and I feel fantastic, I will now eat confidently in front of people, even my dad! My dad has told me how proud he is of me and getting into a size 12 for the first time in my life was an amazing feeling.
I have mainly followed the extra easy plan throughout my journey, with the occasional red or green day, extra easy fits in so well with a young family. I can still go out for a meal with my hubby or on day trips with the kids and not feel left out because I CAN eat what they eat, slimming world has given me the power and knowledge to make better choices. I have struggled at times… Christmas 2009 I gained 9lb!! but I have had really good times too I came home from 2 weeks in Egypt with a 7lb loss and Christmas 2010 I lost half a pound!
I have made 100’s of friends at group and on-line and going to group is like a big cuddle, I always feel welcome and supported no matter what, when I gain I get support to get back on track I never get made to feel bad about it and when I lose I get rewarded.
Before slimming world I struggled to walk upstairs let alone play with the kids, now I go to aqua-fit 3-4 times a week, the gym twice and I do step aerobics as well! I am always running around, dancing and playing with the kids and there is nothing we like more than a slimming world friendly picnic and a kick about in the park.
Winning Woman of the Year in group was amazing, it finally made me realise how much of a difference I have made to my life and other peoples, when I won the district finals I was completely overwhelmed.. I can finally say I'm PROUD to be ME!! I no longer use food as a weapon to self-harm and I am a much more confident, happy and active mummy. I am teaching my girls healthy habits so hopefully they won’t have issues with food when they are older like I did. My whole family love slimming world and even my hubby has lost a stone!
Slimming World has saved my life and for that I can’t thank them enough!!
I’ve been overweight since I was in primary school, I didn’t fit in and I never had many friends, I was very, very shy!
At home my dad use to be tease and say nasty things like ‘no wonder you’re fat eating like that’ and ‘look you’ve got stretch marks because you’re so fat’ and he used to call me a pig every time I ate in front of him so I stopped eating in front of him and I would sneak food to my room and binge.
In secondary school I looked twice the size of all my class mates and I got even more shy, I thought if I never said anything then nobody would notice me (not that they could miss me!!)
When I was 15 I started going out with a lad who was mentally and sometimes physically abusive but my self-esteem was so low I believed I deserved it, I ended up staying with him for 5 years!!
I went to university when I was 18 but I felt even more of an outsider, I was still in the bad relationship so my confidence was non-existent, I stopped going out and I just ate takeaways and slept all day, I stopped going to lectures because I struggled to fit behind the desks!!
I got so depressed that my mum came and took me home, if she hadn’t of done that I wouldn’t be here today! When I got home I was in a very bad way, obese, depressed, rock bottom self-esteem, and loads of debt and still in an abusive relationship! It was a struggle to get out of bed every day…I felt like a big fat failure and I wanted to be dead!!
About 6 months after leaving university I applied for a job as a bus driver, I passed my test first time and I started to come out of my shell a bit, it was easy to put a front on when you’re one of the only young girls working in a mainly male environment, then I met the man of my dreams (except both of us were too shy to say anything!!)
At a friend’s wedding reception our work mates finally got us together and 8 months later we got married, although it was one of the happiest days of my life I can’t look at any of the pictures without hating myself, I was huge!! Working long hours, being content and living off takeaways hadn’t done me any favours!!
I decided to start slimming world because we wanted to start a family and we were struggling to conceive and I knew that losing some weight could help and after losing a stone I fell pregnant and stopped going to group!!
After giving birth I started suffering with post natal depression and was put on anti-depressants, I ate because I felt down and I ate because I was tired and piled a couple more stone on, I decided to start slimming world again… I lost a stone, fell pregnant and stopped going to group!!
When I was 7 months pregnant we decided to move to Manchester…150 miles from home! We didn’t know anyone, we didn’t know the area very well and Martyn lost his job, the only place I went was the doctors and the hospital!
3 months after I gave birth I looked bigger than at 9 months pregnant! I struggled to do simple things like bend and pick my daughter up and walk up the stairs, I had horrendous back pain and looking after a toddler and a new born was near on impossible, post natal depression was back with a vengeance and I hit the self-destruct button, Martyn and I were arguing all the time and all I was doing is eating, sleeping and crying!!
I went to the family planning clinic to get put on the pill and when I asked for the one I used to take the nurse said my BMI was too high to take that one, so I asked how much weight I’d have to lose to be able to take it she said ‘oh a considerable amount’!
The day I decided I had to do something about my weight was the day I only made it halfway up the stairs and had to sit down to catch my breath, I knew then that if I wanted to be around for my girls and see them grow up I had to lose weight!!
I joined slimming world for the final time on the 19th may 2009 and when the scales said 19 stone 6lb I wanted to run away and cry!! When I got home I got Martyn to take pictures of me and I measured myself and I started to keep a diary, I took new pictures and re-measured myself every month and seeing the difference has kept me on track.
To start with nobody believed I could eat so much and lose weight, but I have proved I can, I have always had a big appetite and with slimming world I know I can eat until I’m full and still lose weight!
I started to post pictures of my meals and weight loss on Facebook and now a lot of people I know from school have started slimming world and many of my family members and family friends are following the plan too and say that I am their inspiration! Even my husband’s ex-partner (the mum of his older kids) has been inspired to join slimming world and has lost 3 stone so far because my step daughters rave on about all the yummy meals we enjoy as a family, some of our favourites are lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise and Sunday roasts, with slimming world it’s easy to feed a family on a tight budget and my favourite recipe book is the family feasts for a fiver book.
I have lost 8 stone and I feel fantastic, I will now eat confidently in front of people, even my dad! My dad has told me how proud he is of me and getting into a size 12 for the first time in my life was an amazing feeling.
I have mainly followed the extra easy plan throughout my journey, with the occasional red or green day, extra easy fits in so well with a young family. I can still go out for a meal with my hubby or on day trips with the kids and not feel left out because I CAN eat what they eat, slimming world has given me the power and knowledge to make better choices. I have struggled at times… Christmas 2009 I gained 9lb!! but I have had really good times too I came home from 2 weeks in Egypt with a 7lb loss and Christmas 2010 I lost half a pound!
I have made 100’s of friends at group and on-line and going to group is like a big cuddle, I always feel welcome and supported no matter what, when I gain I get support to get back on track I never get made to feel bad about it and when I lose I get rewarded.
Before slimming world I struggled to walk upstairs let alone play with the kids, now I go to aqua-fit 3-4 times a week, the gym twice and I do step aerobics as well! I am always running around, dancing and playing with the kids and there is nothing we like more than a slimming world friendly picnic and a kick about in the park.
Winning Woman of the Year in group was amazing, it finally made me realise how much of a difference I have made to my life and other peoples, when I won the district finals I was completely overwhelmed.. I can finally say I'm PROUD to be ME!! I no longer use food as a weapon to self-harm and I am a much more confident, happy and active mummy. I am teaching my girls healthy habits so hopefully they won’t have issues with food when they are older like I did. My whole family love slimming world and even my hubby has lost a stone!
Slimming World has saved my life and for that I can’t thank them enough!!
