A mum-of-three shed more than four stone after seeing a photo of herself taken on Christmas morning.
Caroline McNeil, 40, weighed about 15 stone and five pounds after years of trying to live a healthier lifestyle.
After seeing a photo of herself taken over Christmas in 2021, she says she was "mortified" and "deleted them straight away".
She decided to sign up for Slimming World in March 2022.
The childminder, from Stockport, created a healthier relationship with food and cut out snacks like crisps and chocolate.
Caroline now weighs 10 stone and 13 pounds and went from a dress size of 22 to 8.
She told Manchester Evening News: "I feel amazing. I’m not reluctant to have photos taken of me now.
“I’m not reluctant to look in the mirror and it’s silly things like being able to feel my hips.
“I have so much more energy now. I’m able to get down on the floor with the kids and I can easily chase them around the garden without getting out of breath.”
Recalling the moment she knew she had to make a change, she said: "I knew that I’d avoided the scales and I’d started to avoid mirrors and photos being taken.
“But some were taken on Christmas morning and when my husband sent me them, I was absolutely mortified. I deleted them straight away.
“Disappointment and disgust are strong words, but these are just some of the words I found my inner self saying constantly whenever I saw myself.
“Having three teenage daughters, I felt embarrassed that I wasn’t being a positive role model to them.
“I knew I needed to lose weight. I had been gifted a jacket that was too tight. I was also given some pyjamas that were too tight.
“I thought, ‘I need to do something about this’.”
Caroline had attempted to join weight loss programmes in the past but never managed to stick with the regime.
“I had lost weight while on furlough in the pandemic,” she said. “But I did yo-yo in weight.
“If ’d had a stressful day at work, I’d have a bottle of weight. If I couldn’t be bothered cooking, I’d get a takeaway.
“Then every morning I’d wake up with that guilty feeling thinking I’d failed and that I couldn’t [lose weight].
“I used to think, ‘Maybe I’m supposed to be this size, maybe that’s the way things are for me.
Since joining Slimming World, Caroline has smashed her target of losing 40lbs before her 40th birthday.
“It was just getting my head into the right mindset and being able to adjust how I feel about food,” she said.
