I lost the 4th to hula hooping – I weighed more than the 12th and was afraid my friends would think I was pregnant
A woman has almost lost her 4th due to hula hopping – after worrying her friends would think she was pregnant due to her increasing weight.
Philippa McCleod, 30, decided to lose weight after tipping the scales at 12lbs and feeling uncomfortable around her peers during a night out.
The account manager from Leigh, Greater Manchester, struggled to fit into a size 14 dress. However, she has now slimmed down to 8st 6.5lbs and wears size six garments.
“I remember I bought a new black dress to go out with friends and I didn’t drink, so I was afraid they would think I was pregnant,” Philippa explained.
‘They didn’t say anything, but I felt so uncomfortable because I thought they would mistake my weight gain as pregnancy.
Philippa McCleod, 30, started hula hooping to lose weight – she is now a size six
‘I knew I had to change something.
‘I feel great now and have so much confidence in myself.’
Philippa has swapped pizza and cookies for fruit and home-cooked meals and worked her way to a 24-inch waist.
She joined Slimming World in June 2017 and completely changed her diet and lifestyle to lose three kilos.
“I was ashamed of the clothes I bought when I grew up, so that was another factor in losing weight for me,” she said.
Philippa swapped large pizzas for healthy pizza wraps and took fruit instead of chips and chocolate.
Plus, the 30-year-old made healthy treats like oat donuts and French toast so she didn’t miss anything.
“It took a while for the weight to come off, but I stayed motivated,” she said.
Philippa previously weighed 4.5kg and felt uncomfortable with her friends on a night out
Philipps struggled to fit into a size 14 dress and felt uncomfortable getting dressed (left). She now weighs 8.5kg and wears form-fitting clothes to show off her new figure (right)
Philippa believed her friends would mistake her weight gain as being pregnant
She discovered her love for hula hooping after seeing it on Instagram – and practices it regularly
Philippa swapped pizza and cookies for fruit and home-cooked meals and hula-hooped her way to a 24-inch waist
The 30-year-old says she is the happiest she has ever been since losing the weight
In one year, Philippa had lost 2.5 kg and started exercising more to maintain her weight.
“I walk everywhere now,” she said. ‘I use my one-hour lunch break at work to go for a walk and always try to walk to a friend’s house instead of jumping in the car.’
Philippa also discovered a love for hula hooping after seeing it on Instagram.
“It’s great, I hula hoop while watching TV,” she said. ‘I love it.
‘It’s fun and good for the core.’
Philippa has now reached 8st 6.5lbs and is slim, a size six.
She felt ‘confident’ in a form-fitting wedding dress as she tied the knot with husband Callum, 31, an operations manager, in August 2023.
“I’ve been working so hard to maintain my weight that I didn’t want to cover it up with an A-line dress,” she explained.
‘I felt really confident. I loved my dress.
‘I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.
‘I’ve kept my weight off, so I just have to keep going.’