A Yorkshire mum said she has "turned her life around" after struggling with her weight "all her life". Stacey Gascoyne, 29, used to regularly go to all you can eat buffets and "never feel full", but with help from Slimming World, she has been able to lose 14st 8lbs.
When Stacey, from Wakefield, joined, she weighed 25st 2lbs. She said she'd tried multiple diets before and always been left still feeling hungry - so had decided to accompany her mother to Slimming World in April 2019.
Stacey said: "I was severely asthmatic and couldn’t move an inch without needing my inhaler. I’d avoided the scales for so long and was mortified when I saw how much I weighed.
"I had problems sleeping and found I couldn’t run or play with my daughter and I even struggled to walk her to school and back. All of my life I was always the bigger girl but when I saw a picture of myself with my partner Jordan, I was mortified at how big I’d become."
At her first group meeting, Stacey found there were others who had been struggling to lose weight without feeling hungry - and there are other options. She said she really benefited from the eating plan issued by Slimming World that showed her how to use healthier foods to satisfy her appetite. Stacey now plans all her meals in advance.
Stacey added that she can still have treats and her meals remain the same size - just healthier. She added: "My daughter loves eating the meals I cook too. She’s so proud of me and wants to support me and both my mum and dad are in awe of how well I’ve done.
“Losing almost 15st has saved my life! I don’t need my inhaler and I’ve discovered a new love of walking. I walk and run for miles and I feel I’ve been given the freedom to enjoy my life with my family again.
"I’m able to get out of bed in the morning and look in a mirror, something I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing before. I’ve gone from being a size 32 and far too self-conscious to go clothes shopping to a size 10 and finding a new love for clothes and fashion.
"Now I get up and take an extra 20 mins to pick an outfit and check what I look like in a mirror! It brings me such joy! I feel I’m now living the life I was always meant to live – I’m able to do activities with my family I never thought I'd be able to do and my confidence has grown massively. I no longer avoid the mirror or the camera and I’m happy for anyone to take my picture now! I’m not hiding anymore, I make my own spotlight.”
Stacey's story backs up findings from a Leeds university study led by Dr Nicola Buckland that found some people have "low satiety responses", and this can make it harder to lose weight. Professor James Stubbs from the Leeds research team said: “People who have a low satiety response feel less satisfied after eating. They’re more likely to crave high fat foods, to snack between meals and generally are less able to stick to their plans around food choices – therefore they’re more likely to consume more calories than people with a high satiety response and find it harder to manage their weight.
“What this research looked at for the first time is how, for those people who have a low satiety response, choosing foods low in energy density (those foods naturally low in calories per gram) could help them feel fuller, limit their calorie intake and so help their weight loss."
What Stacey ate before
Breakfast: Danish pastry or big bowl of chocolate cereal
Lunch: Shop bought sandwiches, chocolate and crisps
Dinner: Takeaway such as pizza or a kebab
Snacks: Multi-packs of biscuits, crisps and share bars of chocolate
What Stacey eats now
Breakfast: Overnight Weetabix cheescake or smoked salmon & eggs, low-fat yoghurt, strawberries and blueberries
Lunch: lean chicken with lots of salad such as tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce and red peppers
Dinner: Slimming World chicken tikka masala with rice and peas
Snacks: high fibre bar or a Babybel light or fruit
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