A BUSY mum lost a staggering 10st after being cruelly branded as a “fat cow” and “disgusting mess” by strangers – leaving her too embarrassed to leave her own home.
Emma McGarry had struggled with her size since her teenage years and turned to food as a source of comfort.
The 37-year-old admits she was “completely addicted to food” and would gorge on takeaways or white bread – sometimes eating up to a loaf a day.
The mum, from Oldham, tipped the scales at 19st 10lbs at her heaviest and was a dress size 24.
But after changing her diet, she lost an amazing 10st 10lbs.
She is now a slinky size 10 and weighs 9lbs 2ozs.
Emma says: “I literally could not walk, I was on crutches, and I was too embarrassed to leave my own house.
“I ate loads of carbs and my biggest downfall was bread.
“I feel like a new woman now; I love swimming and walking. I love being a mum.”
Emma was slim and healthy in her teens until she suffered a knee injury whilst training with the RAF.
She could not complete her training and over the next few years, needed seven operations on her knee.
She was also stuck in an unhappy relationship.
Emma, who worked as an ambulance emergency call handler, says: “I turned to food for comfort.
“I was miserable in my relationship, and I was in and out of hospital with my knee.
“I just got bigger and bigger, and I lost my confidence.
“I’d eat if I was bored, if I was happy, if I was upset.
“Food was the answer to everything. I could polish off a loaf of white bread in one day.
“I loved pizzas, takeaways, anything stodgy.”
As she struggled to maintain a healthy relationship with food and piled on the pounds, Emma endured cruel abuse from strangers that left her feeling even more depressed.
“I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and I couldn’t even walk up the street,” the mum said.
Fibromyalgia is a long-term condition that causes widespread pain all over the body and muscle stiffness.
“If I went out, I’d get horrible abuse; ‘fat cow’ and ‘disgusting mess’.
“I had anxiety and depression and I felt ashamed of myself.”
‘TRANSFORMED MY LIFE’
By the start of 2016, by now relying completely on crutches, Emma realised she had to change.
She says: “I wanted to join Slimming World, but it took me six months to pluck up courage to actually join the group, I was so worried about being judged.
“Yet when I finally went in, I couldn’t have felt more at ease.
“The group leader, Tracey Mackey, was lovely. The group became like an extended family to me.”
In her first week, Emma lost half a stone.
Alongside her diet, she began hobbling around her garden for five minutes at a time.
Emma's diet before and after her weight loss
Emma’s diet before her weight loss was heaving on carbs and takeaway meals.
She loved white bread, pizza and stodgy meals.
As she turned to food for comfort during health and relationship struggles, she also had trouble controlling her portions.
The self described ‘food addict’ said she used to eat a whole loaf of white bread within a day.
According to the British Dietetic Association, a healthy portion size for bread is 34 to 36g – that’s about one medium slice.
Bread can be healthy source of fibre if you don’t have too much of it and stick to wholegrain, wholemeal, granary or seeded versions.
Emma’s diet after her weight loss
To help achieve her weight loss goals and shed a staggering 10st, Emma cut down on carbs and switched to eating healthy chicken wraps.
She also chooses omelettes and salad instead.
Emma said she indulges in diet coke too, which can be good swap for people trying to reduce their sugar intake.
But the NHS warns that having too much artificially sweetened foods and drinks aren’t necessarily healthy.
The mum makes sure to do a lot of her own cooking instead of ordering takeaways and drinks plenty of water too.
By December that year, she’d lost three stone.
At the start of this year, her weight loss 10lbs 10lbs. She now weighs 9st 2lbs and is a dress size 10.
She says: “It wasn’t all straight success.
“I had a bad relationship and I gained some weight, and the group was so supportive – they helped me get over it and get my weight loss back on track.
“We’re all friends for life.”
Tracey has swapped carbs for healthy chicken wraps, omelette and salad, and diet coke.
She is so thrilled with her transformation that she is now launching her own Slimming World Group in Oldham, Greater Manchester.
She says: “I really enjoy cooking again, I eat healthily and I drink lots of water.
“I’ve gone from hobbling round my back garden to doing charity walks, and I swim a lot too.
“I have literally transformed my life and now I hope to inspire others to do the same.”
How to lose weight safely
Losing weight should be a long-term commitment to healthier living, rather than any drastic measures.
The NHS tips – which can be adopted slowly – include:
- Get active for 150 minutes a week – you can break this up into shorter sessions
- Aim to get your 5 A Day – 80g of fresh, canned or frozen fruit or vegetables count as 1 portion
- Aim to lose 1 to 2lbs, or 0.5 to 1kg, a week
- Read food labels – products with more green colour coding than amber and red are often a healthier option
- Swap sugary drinks for water – if you do not like the taste, add slices of lemon or lime for flavour
- Cut down on food that’s high in sugar and fat – start by swapping sugary cereal for wholegrain alternatives
- Share your weight loss plan with someone you trust – they can help motivate you when you have a bad day
Read about:
- The five fat loss foundations
- The calorie formula for weight loss
- The perfect portion sizes for meals to lose weight
- Sun Health’s 8-week weight loss kick start plan
