Two years ago Lisa Hughes was dangerously overweight. The mum-of-three tipped the scales at 19st 10lb and suffered with worryingly high blood pressure and cholesterol.
To make matters worse, the Neath resident struggled with body confidence and even turned down job interviews as she was so concerned about people judging her size. The turning point for the 50-year-old came when she found herself unable to catch her breath after climbing the stairs at home.
"I got to the top and I felt like I was going to pass out - my heart was racing," she recalled. "I had to sit down on the toilet because I just couldn't breathe. I knew that was when I needed to turn things around. Enough was enough - I was killing myself."
For many years Lisa said her weight would yo-yo due to family life and everyday stresses. "I've always struggled with my weight. At my heaviest I was extremely low on confidence and I didn't have much self-esteem. Going for jobs used to make me feel quite anxious as I was worried about how I'd be perceived, so I never really went for higher-end jobs."
Lisa, from Cimla, who has been a childminder for seven years, said her diet of takeaways - and skipping breakfast - was having a severely deterimental impact on her health. She said joining Slimming World at Cimla Community Centre in January 2021 was the best decision she ever made.
"I'd used Slimming World about six or seven years ago, but this time I put everything into it. My mind and my focus was right - I needed to make it work to save my life," she admitted. "I was able to still eat three meals a day - porridge with fruit was my main breakfast, I'd have a salad or jacket potato for lunch, and then I'd have a hearty meal for dinner with pasta, rice or veg which would still make me full. I haven't felt hungry since day one.
"In my first week I lost 13lb. I also started walking more - short distances at first and then I gradually built up to the point where I was walking everywhere. I now walk between 10 and 15 miles a day based on the amount of steps I do."
Lisa said she now feels "extremely happy" in herself and added: "I'd never been able to go and buy clothes. I've gone from a size 26/28 to a size six to eight. It's a massive difference. I walk past people now who I haven't seen for a couple of years and they don't recognise me. It makes me feel proud of what I've achieved."
Despite losing so much weight Lisa, who now weighs just eight stone, said she continues to attend the weekly Slimming World sessions as she's built up a network of friends. She added that her husband David Hughes has been a huge support during her inspirational weight-loss journey.
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