A Scots mum turned her life around and lost a whopping seven stone after being too embarrassed to take photos with her daughter.
Lara McReynolds, from Glasgow, was determined to be a better mum for her young daughter and set out to shed some of the 18st 6lbs.
During the coronavirus lockdown, Lara further realised she had to make an urgent change as she was at greater risk of obesity related illnesses genetically, meaning Covid could be deadly to her.
As reported in Glasgow Live, the 32-year-old single mum got in touch with a consultant and in her first week lost 9lbs, which spurred her on.
Lara said: "Pandemic years two, I realised I couldn’t continue this, I was missing out on so much due to my weight. I was too embarrassed to have photos taken with my daughter Halle, I couldn’t do activities with her as I’d get out breath and people stared at me.
"I couldn’t get up off the floor after I’d been playing with her. This wasn’t the mother I wanted for my little girl!"
Lara had been bullied from a young age for being 'fat' but now realises looking back that the bullying made her self esteem plummet, which led to her finding comfort in food and putting more and more weight on.
"I wasn’t always overweight, a perfectly happy, healthy child until puberty struck and puppy fat hit," Lara added.
"This is where it all began; targeted by bullies, for being overweight and because my group of friends and I were Goths. Being a bit different, we attracted a barrage of abuse and name calling daily.
"Looking back at photos, I actually wasn’t overweight at the time, but teenagers are cruel, and my self-esteem plummeted, I found comfort food and took solace in it, which of course meant my weight crept up and that puppy fat became real fat.
"Throughout my late teens and early 20’s I tried pretty much every diet there was, nothing worked for me, I felt like a lost cause. With both my parents having obesity related illnesses, I decided genetically I was probably destined to be fat, their conditions didn’t motivate me at that time."
In 2014 Lara lost a close friend, with her gran passing mere weeks later and her nana being diagnosed with cancer. At the beginning of the year she had met someone she believed to be her soulmate, who didn't mind her weight, and she began to take on the attitude that life was too short to worry about your weight.
By July she had moved in with her new man, as she piled more and more weight on.
Lara said: "I now realise that my self-esteem was so low, I settled for whatever I could get in case no one else would want me.
"This wasn’t the fairytale I’d been fooling myself it was, within 3 months I found out he was cheating and discovered I was pregnant. I always swore I’d never put up with anyone cheating on me, but here I was, fat, pregnant, with self-esteem through the floor, what else could I do?
"I pretended everything would be ok once the baby arrived, it wasn’t. My weight continued to increase to the point my body just wasn’t coping, I developed hip-dysplasia and was at risk of pre- eclampsia.
"This should have been one of life's most exciting times and here I found myself with a cheating boyfriend, barely able to walk, believing it was my fault he was cheating because I fat, while putting both myself and my baby at risk.
"The day my daughter Halle was born in June 2015 was the happiest day of my life, but I was broken. Suddenly my protective Mum instincts kicked in, I needed to be a happy mum for her, I found strength to walk away with my new-born daughter and moved back in with my parents for help and support.
"As amazing as my parents are, it wasn’t easy to go back, feeling like a failure; a single mum, all my own fault for being fat, yet stuck in a vicious cycle using food as a support mechanism.
"I decided to sort my life out, I started home studying and got a part time job, Halle started school and then the pandemic hit. It seemed that I was just getting my life together when I was hit with yet more obstacles!
"I was studying, working and home schooling a 5-year-old, while feeling fat and miserable. Everyone else was cooking healthy food and exercising to cope, shovelling more food in my face was my way!"
Lara was welcomed with open arms and no judgement from her consultant, Cat Laurie, who helped her to believe that she could be the mum she wanted for her little girl.
Lara said: "I had to stop for a while to have my gallbladder removed, but I couldn’t wait to get back on plan, get my chocolate ready-made shakes again and get to goal. Nothing was going to stop me this time, no one was going to laugh at me anymore, call me names or take advantage of me ever again!
"Alongside having Halle, losing 7 stones is the biggest achievement of my life. But the biggest change isn’t that number on the scales; I know my own worth, I am happy and confident in my own skin, with the energy to do all the things I dreamed of with her.
"I fly up off that floor after playing with her, I can wrap a towel round me after a shower without fear of flashing my bum to my dad and all those beautiful dresses I’ve been missing out on for years are in my wardrobe, I think I’ve turned into a shopaholic!
"I have literally had a summer of beautiful new dresses. Most importantly, I’m an awesome, empowered Mum who looks and feels fabulous, I don’t need any man to help me do anything, a powerful attitude I’m passing to my daughter!"
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