I was afraid my sons would be bullied because of my weight when I was 17 – now I’ve lost 7 and it’s made me the mom I always wanted to be

A mother-of-two who feared her sons would be bullied because of her weight has shown off her incredible transformation after losing seventh place.

Mary Watkins, 42, from East Sussex, who weighed 17 at her heaviest, struggled with her size for years and was diagnosed with high blood pressure and preeclampsia while pregnant with her eldest son Freddie.

After failed attempts to lose weight, she joined Slimming World and lost 7th place. She has been maintaining this weight loss for seven years now and has opened her own Slimming World group to help other slimmers.

The mum, who was named Slimming World’s Top Target Consultant 2024, said: ‘Freddie was born seven weeks prematurely because he had stopped growing because the blood flow from my placenta was weak.

‘I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and my weight and high blood pressure played a role in that. It pains me to think that if I had been a healthy weight, Freddie might not have been born prematurely.”

When she was just over 17, Mary was advised to lose weight to control her blood pressure, especially if she became pregnant again.

She said: ‘I knew a lot of people doing intermittent fasting at the time, so I gave it a try. I lost a little weight before I became pregnant with my second son, Walter.

‘However, the weight soon came back and as a mother of two little boys I found it difficult to make myself and my health a priority.’

Mary found herself turning down opportunities, such as attending friends’ bachelor parties, and realized she needed to make a positive change when Freddie started school in 2016.

‘I was afraid he would be bullied because of my size. A few mums from the baby groups I’d been to had mentioned Slimming World and a friend said she was joining our local group, so I decided to give it a try myself.

‘The group looked nothing like the stereotypes I had seen on TV. I received warmth, care and support from the advisor and other members – it was wonderful.’

Mary, who lives in Crowborough with husband Dafydd, Freddie who is now 11 and eight-year-old Walter, quickly started enjoying Slimming World’s healthy eating plan and introduced new healthy habits for the whole family, including cooking and walking more often. to school instead of by car.

She said: ‘My previous attempts to lose weight had left me hungry and irritable, so to be honest I was expecting the same.

‘I couldn’t believe it when I was cooking food for the whole family instead – like spaghetti bolognese, Moroccan tagines with couscous or chilli with home-made chips.

‘No food is off limits, there are hundreds of foods you can eat freely and others are controlled in different ways to protect your weight loss. And I lost weight – I lost seventh place in ten months.”

Over time, Mary became more active using the program’s physical activity support, which helps members introduce activity levels at their own pace and in a way that fits with daily routines.

She said: ‘I was quite active when I was younger, although this decreased as I got older. I was so afraid that I would embarrass myself by being red and not having an appetite anymore.

‘So instead of going to a gym, I started walking. I would take Freddie to nursery and then go to my Slimming World group.

‘Then I went for a walk around the block and slowly progressed to running a 10k race, which I’m so proud of.

“For Christmas this year, my boys even asked for running shoes because they wanted to go running with me.”

Mary’s next achievement came when she decided to train as a Slimming World Consultant.

She said: ‘I felt so positive – full of life and energy – a world away from the person I was before I lost the weight.

“I wanted to put this feeling in a bottle and give it to anyone who has ever struggled with their weight. Becoming a Consultant yourself seemed the next logical step. ‘I thought losing weight was the best feeling ever, but it turns out helping others lose weight is just as rewarding.

‘After I had the children, I wanted a job where I had the flexibility of being there for school and sports days, but still had a career that I loved. This is exactly that!’

And after more than seven years of staying at her goal weight, people often ask Mary about her “secret” to long-term weight loss success.

She said, ‘You have to change your lifestyle. No one wants to diet for the rest of their life – and yet I want to feel the way I feel every day.

‘Eating healthy and exercising is now second nature to me – and it was my Slimming World group that helped me get to this point.

‘The individual thinking about possible pitfalls that you are encouraged to do in the group, combined with the ideas of the other members, helped me discover what worked for me.

‘It means I don’t feel like I’m missing out and for the first time in my life I’m doing everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I am the fit and active mother I always wanted to be and that is just the best feeling.’