I lost 18st without fat jabs – I didn't cheat my way to a new body by secretly using Ozempic, I put the effort in
Weighing 29st and a size 32, I was practically housebound and struggling to care for my children. It was a conversation with my husband in early 2023 that would shock me into finally losing weight, after years of it spiralling out of control.
5
5
Today, I'm more than 18st lighter, but to my frustration, there are people who don't believe I lost the weight through diet and exercise.
They accuse me of secretly using fat jabs and say I cheated my way to a new body.
When my husband Dan told me that day that he was scared I was going to die, I knew his fears were justified. At 38, I was pre-diabetic and could barely walk, with aching joints and breathlessness. I agreed to join a slimming club, but had no idea how I'd lose the excess weight.
All my life, I've been big. At 10, I weighed 9st, the weight of an adult woman, because I had a big appetite.
BIG APPETITE
As a teenager, when I had more independence and money to spend, I'd buy crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks. I did try a few times to lose weight in my 20s, but always gave up and put it back on, and more.
When I met Dan online in 2013, after having my first child in a previous relationship, I was a size 24. He didn't care, though, and saw past my weight. He loved me as I was, and we got married in 2016.
I treated food like an emotional crutch. No matter how I was feeling, I turned to it. I look back with horror at what I'd consume daily – litres of fizzy drink, greasy takeaways, piles of buttered toast and chocolate.
By the time Dan had that emotional conversation with me, I was only leaving the house once a week to go to the supermarket, and I slept downstairs because getting up to our bedroom was too hard for me.
He had to take on more than his share, and I could never take the kids to the park or on a day trip. Had Dan not confided his fears in me, I'm not sure if I'd have ever given myself that push to lose weight.
Stepping on to the scales at my first slimming club meeting in February 2023, I felt mortified. At 29st 4.5lb, I was by far the biggest person there. But for Dan and my children's sake, I knew I needed to try.
So, using the club's plan as a starting point, I began learning about nutrition. I started having fruit and yoghurt for breakfast, a wrap with salad for lunch, and chicken with veg for dinner. I stopped having takeaways and gradually weaned myself off sugary drinks.
Attending a weekly meeting and being weighed kept me accountable, and as I started to see the number on the scales go down, I felt motivated to keep going. I began to introduce walking, too.
At first, even short distances left me with sore joints and out of breath, but I persevered and it became more enjoyable.
5
5
5
Dan was so supportive and relieved I was taking care of myself. By April 2024, I'd lost 17st. I decided to keep going and now weigh 10st 13lb. I don't plan to lose any more, but still attend my weekly club meetings.
It's surreal when I walk into a clothes shop and can pick out size-12 dresses. People I haven't seen in a while have walked past, not recognising me, and there was even a rumour in our area Dan was having an affair, because he was spotted with another woman. But that was me!
What frustrates me is, after all the effort I've put in, I've been accused of secretly using weight-loss jabs. I've seen it happen online to celebrities, such as TV presenter Alison Hammond, who's lost 11st without jabs, too.
Personally, I think it's cheating to use them to lose weight. I put the pounds on and it was up to me to lose them, not rely on pharmaceuticals.
When I look back at old photos, I don't recognise that unhealthy, unhappy woman.
I've saved my life and am the active, happy wife and mum I always dreamed of being. And I did it all by myself.'
The NHS 12-step plan to help you lose weight
FROM faddy diets to dodgy detoxes - most of us have heard it all before when it comes to weight loss.
But burning fat can be easy and mostly free.
In fact, the NHS has a whole load of medically-approved tips for weight loss and shedding body fat once and for all...
Don't skip breakfast
Skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight. You could miss out on essential nutrients and you may end up snacking more throughout the day because you feel hungry.
Eat regular meals
Eating at regular times during the day helps burn calories at a faster rate. It also reduces the temptation to snack on foods high in fat and sugar.
Eat plenty of fruit and veg
Fruit and veg are low in calories and fat, and high in fibre – 3 essential ingredients for successful weight loss. They also contain plenty of vitamins and minerals.
Get more active
Being active is key to losing weight and keeping it off. As well as providing lots of health benefits, exercise can help burn off the excess calories you cannot lose through diet alone.
Drink lots of water
People sometimes confuse thirst with hunger. You can end up consuming extra calories when a glass of water is really what you need.
Eat high fibre foods
Foods containing lots of fibre can help keep you feeling full, which is perfect for losing weight. Fibre is only found in food from plants, such as fruit and veg, oats, wholegrain bread, brown rice and pasta, and beans, peas and lentils.
Read food labels
Knowing how to read food labels can help you choose healthier options. Use the calorie information to work out how a particular food fits into your daily calorie allowance on the weight loss plan.
Use a smaller plate
Using smaller plates can help you eat smaller portions. By using smaller plates and bowls, you may be able to gradually get used to eating smaller portions without going hungry. It takes about 20 minutes for the stomach to tell the brain it's full, so eat slowly and stop eating before you feel full.
Don't ban foods
Do not ban any foods from your weight loss plan, especially the ones you like. Banning foods will only make you crave them more. There's no reason you cannot enjoy the occasional treat as long as you stay within your daily calorie allowance.
Don't stock junk food
To avoid temptation, do not stock junk food – such as chocolate, biscuits, crisps and sweet fizzy drinks – at home. Instead, opt for healthy snacks, such as fruit, unsalted rice cakes, oat cakes, unsalted or unsweetened popcorn, and fruit juice.
Cut down on alcohol
A standard glass of wine can contain as many calories as a piece of chocolate. Over time, drinking too much can easily contribute to weight gain.
Plan your meals
Try to plan your breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the week, making sure you stick to your calorie allowance. You may find it helpful to make a weekly shopping list.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I am injecting my 13-year-old daughter with fat jabs. This is why I did it, the incredible impact it's already had and why hundreds of parents will follow in my footsteps
Tomorrow evening, just as she has done for the last eight months, Sarah Masterman* will take a small syringe into her 13-year-old daughter Bella's bedroom and swiftly inject medication into one of her thighs. The mother of three is happy to describe this weekly ritual as little short of a lifesaver, although it is not vital emergency medicine that Sarah is administering to her young daughter's body. It is the GLP-1 drug semaglutide, a weight-loss aid better known by brand names such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Teenage Bella is certainly a success story on that front: since Christmas, she has lost three stone, dropping from 11st 7lbs to just over 8st.
BBC News
8 minutes ago
- BBC News
Mental health waiting lists: Amy has complex PTSD but has seen a psychiatrist once in 10 years
As a child, Amy was often violently attacked. At 15, she was threatened with a knife. Now diagnosed with complex PTSD, she's spent over a decade isolated at home with her mum, desperately seeking help. She has seen a psychiatrist only once."I was self harming and felt suicidal and didn't want to be alive anymore," says Amy, who's stuck on the long waiting list for NHS mental health has bounced up and down the list for years despite being known by crisis teams at her local hospital and GP is one of thousands of patients across England caught in the backlog of mental health analysis for the BBC by charity Rethink Mental Illness reveals a stark - and widening - inequality between mental and physical healthcare. There are 12 times more patients waiting longer than 18 months for treatment compared to those with physical four emergency ambulance callouts this year, Amy remains on an indefinite waiting list for severe mental health treatment - with no timeline and no clear path out of crisis."I just get told to wait and that services are struggling," she says. "Sometimes I feel really angry and like screaming and cry all day because I can't move on with my life."Amy finally got onto a college course last year but was asked to leave after a crisis."I feel like I'm going round and round in circles and end up in the same situation every single day," she says. Amy's mum no longer works, in order to care for story reflects the harsh reality behind the statistics: lives unravelling while help remains out of reach. Mental health gap widening While the physical health waiting list in England is declining rapidly, the mental health backlog is not coming down rapidly and remains stubbornly high - leaving vulnerable people like Amy stuck and unsupported."This is an urgent wake-up call," says Brian Dow, deputy chief executive of Rethink Mental Illness. "Long delays worsen outcomes. It becomes more expensive to treat them. They end up in secondary care, which is more complex - and they fall further from work and become more reliant on benefits."The analysis uses data from NHS England's monthly statistics. It includes only adults with severe mental illness that have waited more than 78 be included on the waiting list numbers they have to have been referred by community mental health services for further treatment or assessment. Those waiting for talking therapy for mild anxiety or depression are not included in these statistics.A list of organisations in the UK offering support and information with some of the issues in this story is available at BBC Action the month of May there were 14,586 patients waiting longer than 18 months (78 weeks) for mental health treatment compared to 1,237 people waiting for a physical health operation or Becks Fisher of the Nuffield Trust health think tank said the government had made progress on a pledge to recruit 8,500 more mental health workers but added that access for people referred to mental health services "had not been as prominent" in recent planning and guidance as reducing physical health said that the share of health spending going towards mental health was set to fall in the financial year ending in effect that means departmental funding had been favouring physical health services."Mental health problems disproportionately affect young people," adds Mr Dow. "It makes huge health sense and huge economic sense to prioritise mental health access." What 'good' care looks like A new mental health hub in East London is offering a radically different approach - described as an example of what "good" mental health care could look for walk-in patients without appointments, it provides early intervention in a well-staffed, welcoming space. The effects are already visible - Dr Sheraz Ahmad, a consultant psychiatrist at the centre, says waiting lists have already fallen hub has three consultant psychiatrists and a number of mental health specialists that can offer around-the-clock care. The team here is stable."We want to have conversations early on," explains Dr Ahmad. "Once we understand the problem, we can point people in the right direction - avoiding that vicious circle."Here, it's not just treatment. It's the continuity of care that helps most. "Having access to the same clinicians that know your story everyday makes a huge difference. It builds trust," he says."I come every day and play pool," says Moyna, who is living with schizophrenia."Sometimes I watch TV, listen to music - and feel better."He credits the hub with helping him avoid relapse, and reducing his need for hospital care. He doesn't need an appointment any more to get support and care in times of crisis, and it is all within his neighbourhood. The facility is the first of its kind, with short-stay beds. It is only one of six planned by NHS England from Birmingham to Sheffield, York to hubs, which are tricky to set up and so are unlikely to be able to be scaled up drastically, unite the voluntary sector and the are limited with psychiatrists and infrastructure being the main outlays. Most other staff are volunteers and the east London venue has been provided by a growing calls for more low-cost, high-impact hubs like these, access to this kind of care remains a distant hope for thousands like Amy. Shifting care from hospitals to the community Health Minister Stephen Kinnock acknowledges the reality of mental health care in England: "For far too long people have been let down by the mental health system and that has led to big backlogs."He says the government has a plan to tackle the problems."We're seeing more people present with challenges, and the way to deal with that is shifting support from hospitals into the community," he mental health care, "it's all about prevention" adds Mr Kinnock. That's how he thinks the government can help reduce waiting lists. The gap between mental and physical health waits has grown since Labour came into month, when Amy's mum was discharged after a short hospital stay, she was given a consultant appointment for her physical condition - an undiagnosed heart problem - just a few weeks later. By contrast, Amy continues to wait."We don't know how we're going to get out of this situation," she says. "I want to get a job and go to college and things like that. But we're both just stuck living this life."
The Independent
37 minutes ago
- The Independent
Study reveals health risks of excessive screen time in teens
Excessive screen time in children and young adults significantly increases the risk of heart-related health conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and insulin resistance. Danish researchers found that this link is particularly strong in individuals who experience reduced sleep, suggesting screen use may be displacing crucial sleep time. The study, involving over 1,000 Danish youths, revealed that each additional hour of screen time daily worsened cardiometabolic risk, with three extra hours leading to a notable increase. Machine learning identified a 'screen-time fingerprint' in blood samples, indicating biological changes that could signal long-term heart health risks from early screen habits. Experts recommend gradually reducing screen time, particularly by shifting screen use earlier in the day and prioritizing earlier and longer sleep, to mitigate these health risks.
