A woman who was bullied for being ‘the fat one’ where she worked has transformed herself by losing seven and a half stone. Leah Taylor said she had to quit her job in cleaning and security at an airport because of the comments.
She said that the impact of someone referring to her as ‘the fat one’ really played on her mind and led to feelings of anxiety about what people might be saying about her. She gained a lot of weight during the pandemic lockdowns, hitting 17.5 stones.
Leah, from the Vale of Glamorgan, started a meal replacement plan with diet firm Exante in October 2021, dropping from 17st 7lbs to 10st today. She managed the incredible change through stopping fizzy suger-filled drinks and ate a lot less at each meal, Walesonline reports.
She admits having two big bowls of cereal for breakfast, and huge dinners with extra chips washed down with pop with a chocolate bar for pudding. She explained: “I was living on fizzy drinks and energy drinks and would eat at meal times until I was full.”
It was very hard to start with - she began with 800 calories a day for ten long weeks to get the weight down quickly, only having shakes and bars for breakfast and lunch before a healthy evening meal. This led to her losing three stone - and she upped her daily intake to 1,000 calories.
When she managed to lose another two stone she then went to 1,200 calories. At her starting weight Leigh was a size 26 and lived in baggy clothes, hoodies, and leggings. She said: “I was never really sure of my exact size. As long as something hid the shape of my body I would wear it.
“I wanted to lose the weight because I put so much on during lockdown. I longed to be able to wear whatever I wanted in the summer and not live in baggy shirts and leggings. I was constantly hot – even in the winter I would have a fan on me. I was referred to as ‘the fat one’ when I started a new job and left immediately. That was on my mind for months because I suffer with anxiety and I really pushed myself to get that job.
“I felt really bad about myself when I went clothes shopping. Sometimes I’d come out of the changing rooms crying with clothes I wished would fit me or look nice on me, and that’s what really changed my mindset – I knew only I could do something about that.”
Now Leah has sold all her old clothes and bought a whole new set - previously she would be in tears when she was shopping for things to wear. She said: “I’m so excited for summer this year – it’s like a whole new world losing seven and a half stone. I can wear things I wouldn’t have dared to wear when I first started my journey.
“I thank myself all the time for taking pictures of myself when I started my weight loss journey because sometimes we can be too harsh on ourselves and look in the mirror thinking we look no different even if the people around you say you’ve lost weight. If I didn’t have my photos to look back on when I was doubting my losses I know I would have definitely given up because I was in a negative mindset about myself for so long. I’ve had so much support from my family and my partner, which is really important when you’re on such a big journey where lots of willpower is needed.”
Anyone embarking on a low-calorie diet plan or who has a medical condition and is looking to change their diet should seek medical advice from their GP or a healthcare professional first.
