When my sister-in-law posted an unflattering picture of me online, I saw red. But then, I spotted an advert that changed everything. By Catherine Vaughan, 35
I picked up two plates with leftovers and said to my young sons: ‘Let me clear this up.’
Connor, 12, and Cayden, four, hadn’t managed to finish their pepperoni pizzas. So, I took their unwanted food into the kitchen.
There, I looked sheepishly over my shoulder.
Instead of scraping the remaining slices into the bin,
I gobbled them up.
I told myself: It would be a shame to let it go to waste.
But it happened every dinner time — I’d knowingly cook more than the boys could eat, giving myself an excuse to polish off their leftovers.
I ran a cleaning business and life could be hectic, so I often turned to takeaway meals.
A few times a week, my partner Lloyd and I would order fish and chips or a chicken kebab with greasy side dishes.
I’d wash it down with a pint of lager.
So, it was of little surprise that
I weighed more than 19 stone and wore a dress size 24-26.
I hadn’t been clothes shopping in years, as I couldn’t face the shame of carrying the huge tent-like tops into the changing rooms.
Then, one day at a family party, my sister-in-law pulled out her phone and took a picture of me.
I didn’t think anything of it, but later a notification popped up on my Facebook, and I gasped.
My sister-in-law had posted the picture online.
I was wearing a cardigan over a vest top and leggings. But my bulging frame filled the screen.
I phoned my sister-in-law and said: ‘Get that picture down right now, or I’m unfriending you!’
‘OK,’ she replied, timidly.
Lloyd looked at the screen.
‘You don’t look so bad,’ he said.
But I knew he was just being kind.
Next time I saw my sister-in-law, I apologised for sounding so snappy on the phone.
‘Sorry, it’s just my fatitude!’ I said.
That’s what I called my bad moods, as they were usually brought on by feeling angry at myself
for being overweight.
But I didn’t feel I had the willpower to make a change.
Years passed, and then one day I was scrolling through Facebook when an advert popped up for the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan.
By now, I’d become so fed up with my size, I was willing to give anything a go.
My weight made it difficult
to walk any distance without feeling out of breath, and my ‘fatitude’ was only getting worse.
So I contacted a local Cambridge Weight Plan consultant.
Then I had to face the scales.
When I saw that I’d reached 19st 12lb, I felt ashamed of myself.
But I threw myself into the diet.
I had three meal-replacement products such as shakes or meal bars for breakfast, lunch and a snack, followed by a home-made dinner such as grilled chicken and salad.
I was surprised not to feel hungry afterwards.
I cut out alcohol too, and instantly felt healthier.
In the first week, I lost eight pounds.
Within a month, I was a stone down.
As I continued to lose weight, I gained energy and built a gym in my garden.
Connor looked at the exercise equipment and said: ‘Mum, this is amazing!’
I enjoyed working out and roped in a group of friends to do a boot camp with a personal trainer round my house.
As months passed, I learnt tricks to keep my weight-loss journey on track.
And when we went to a family barbecue, I took my own healthy chicken skewers.
My weight loss made me look years younger, and when I went for my COVID-19 booster jab, I was mistaken for a teenager.
Now, a year on, I’ve lost nearly 10 stone.
I wear a size 8 and love shopping for new work-out gear.
I’ve become a 1:1 Diet consultant, and instead of dreading being tagged into pictures online, I’ve become
a selfie queen.
Best of all, my ‘fatitude’ has disappeared. I’m a happier and healthier version of myself.
Diet before
Breakfast: nothing
Lunch: BLT sandwich and cheese-and-onion crisps
Dinner: pizza or Chinese takeaway
Snacks: crisps, sweets, biscuits
Diet now
Breakfast: 1:1 Cappuccino Flavour Shake
Lunch: 1:1 Fruit & Nut Bar
Dinner: home-made kebab or burger with salad or beef stew
Snacks: 1:1 Chocolate Shake ’n’ Go
Height 5ft 4in
Before 19st 12lb Size 24-26
After 10 stone Size 8-10
Total loss 9st 12lb