Having previously tried and failed to have a healthier lifestyle, Caroline McNeil believed she was going to be overweight forever.
The mum-of-three, from Stockport, had attempted all kinds of weight loss methods in the past but nothing seemed to help her shed the pounds.
But one photograph taken on Christmas morning would finally kick-start the weight loss journey she had always wanted – seeing her lose over an incredible five stone.
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Caroline, 40, weighed around 15st 5lbs when she joined a Slimming World group in Reddish in March 2022.
She was placed onto a diet plan which saw her create a healthier relationship with food by cutting out unneccesary snacks like crisps and chocolate.
The pounds began to drop off and childminder Caroline quickly went from a dress size 22 to a size 8 – now weighing in at 10st 13lbs.
“I feel amazing,” Caroline told the Manchester Evening News. “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.”
Caroline can recall the moment she was shown the photo of herself on Christmas Day 2021. “I knew that I’d avoided the scales and I’d started to avoid mirrors and photos being taken,” she said.
“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 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.
Caroline's diet before her weight loss:
Breakfast
No breakfast
Lunch
A packet of crisps / a wedge of cheese / pasta with sauce / beans on white bread
Snacks
Chocolate or crisps
Tea
Slimming World meals but covered in mayonnaise or a takeaway
Caroline's diet now:
Breakfast
Fruit and yogurt / Weetabix with fruit
Lunch
Pre-prepared Slimming World meals like spaghetti bolognaise with lentils - batch cooked
Snacks
Fruit and veg, high fibre bars, low calorie crisps or a Freddo bar
Tea
Tuna pasta bakes, salmon and broccoli pasta, sausage and mash, chicken fajitas, roast dinner, healthier takeaways at the weekend
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