A former 23rd party girl who “used to laugh at people who worked out” shared how her discovery of running dropped her to 10.5, which means friends with their ripped bodies on the street no longer recognize.
Sarah Day, 45, an IT service desk manager from Basingstoke, rose to 23+ stones after the loss of her beloved mother and ex-husband in 2014 left her in despair.
But when her doctor’s medical scale wasn’t high enough to record her weight in 2019, Sarah was embarrassed and referred to a local slimming club – and was soon bitten by the weight loss and exercise virus.
Sarah Day after losing weight. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
She previously wore a height of 26 at 5 “by 8” and had a BMI, or body mass index, used to measure a healthy weight of 49.1 compared to the healthy range of 18.5 to 24.9, which made them obese.
But now 12st 8lbs Sarah, who is single and has lived with her father David Day, 72, a retired engineer, since she split from her late ex-husband in 2012, describes her weight loss which has dropped to a height of 10-12 Dress size and a BMI of 26.6 as “life changing”.
She said, “I recently bought a size 10 dress, it was just the most incredible feeling.”
Sarah’s diet before:
- Breakfast – nothing
- Lunch – cheese rolls from the work canteen, chips packets and chocolate bars
- Dinner – pizza with extra cheese, snacks like Deliveroo, Burger King or McDonald’s
- Drink (on weekends) – six pints of Stella or white wine and shots
- Exercise – none
She added, “Friends and family are blown away and people don’t recognize me on the street.
“I used to laugh at people who exercised and thought they were stupid – now I run four times a week and exercise almost every day. I’ll never be the way I was before. “
Tall and lean during most of her teenage years, Sarah started gaining weight as a young woman when she started eating and drinking anything she liked.
Sarah’s wake up call came in 2019 when she was too heavy for her GP’s scales. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
“I was always thin when I was younger, so I never thought I would gain weight,” she explained.
“I’ve always been tall – taller and taller – since I started gaining weight when I was 18.
“Before, I was really thin. Nothing made me gain weight. “
Sarah (center) with her friend, also called Sarah (in blue), with her friend’s sister Sarah Zoey (left) and her friend’s daughters Sarah, Abbie (right) and Georgia (second from left). PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
Sarah was a sociable drinker and was also starting to party more with her friends around this time.
She said, “I went out a lot over the weekend and drank. I was a social drinker, but I drank a lot – wine, beer and shots. “
But the change in her figure did not bother the self-confident and popular Sarah.
Sarah after her transformation. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
“I didn’t mind being a big girl and I was pretty happy to be ‘Big Sarah’,” she said.
In 2000, at the age of 24, Sarah married her now deceased ex-husband, whom she would rather not name.
“I was size 16 when I got married,” she says. “I just gradually gained weight by eating what I liked and what I drank.”
Sarah after her weight loss. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
She added, “I ate the wrong things. I ate pizza the whole time – I just ate what I wanted. “
But the relationship didn’t last when the two split in 2012.
Tragically, Sarah’s mother, Nina Day, a catering business owner, died of ovarian cancer in May 2014 at the age of 68 – followed shortly afterwards by Sarah’s ex-husband in November of that year.
Sarah after losing weight. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
She said, “I’ve had a terrible couple of years losing my mother and ex-husband. We were apart, but it was just a really shitty time.
“He was a very big part of my life and it was a shock to go through it all in the same year.”
As she turned to eating to cope with her grief, Sarah admitted, “Since 2014 I’ve gained a lot. I didn’t care what I eat. “
Sarah before her weight loss. COLLECT PA REAL LIFE
She added, “I would eat a lot of cheese. I ate huge portions of whatever I wanted and I still drank a lot on weekends and evenings. “
Stacking brick on brick, Sarah’s wake-up call finally came in June 2019 when she was feeling down and in pain and booked an appointment with her family doctor.
“I’ve been to the doctors a few times,” Sarah said. “I just thought it was a little slip up.”
Sarah put on whatever she wanted to eat and drink. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
She added, “But I was on the scales and she couldn’t work out my weight. They were old-fashioned sheds that cut off – and I was too heavy. “
Given her size, Sarah knew she had to act.
She said, “I just came out and cried. I knew that if I didn’t do it for myself, nobody would help me. “
Sarah’s diet now:
- Breakfast – a banana or two
- Lunch – Ham and Low Fat Philadelphia Sandwich Dilution, a bag of low WW point crisps
- Dinner – smaller portions of healthier meals like chicken fajitas, spaghetti bolognese, salads, or scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on low-fat bread
- Drink (on weekends) – gin and tonic, in moderation or the occasional beer or glass of wine
- Exercise – morning run of 5-6 km and midday hike of 4 km
For WW, formerly known as Weight Watchers, she was offered a free 12 week membership through the NHS.
She vowed not to put it off any longer, called that afternoon and went with him the next week.
She said, “There were like-minded people at different stages and I just thought I can do it.”
Sarah is now thrilled to have a dress size 10-12. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
When she started the diet where slimmer people track their food intake with WW points, Sarah’s original goal was to be 16 and wear a size 18.
“I would have liked to have worn a size 12 – but at that point it still seemed so far away,” she explained.
After months of monitoring her diet, Sarah gradually lost 4th place – although she initially refused to exercise and continued to enjoy some dinners and evenings with friends to save up her points for the weekends.
Sarah nearly lost 11th PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
She said, “I haven’t told my friends and family anything other than a few close friends and my boss at work who was really brilliant.
“Before the lockdown. I didn’t want to train – I just wasn’t. “
But when others noticed changes, friends warned her not to tighten or risk sagging skin folds.
Sarah loves to exercise now. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
So, in February 2020, she bit the bullet and entered a gym – and discovered, to her shock, that she loved it.
She said, “It was across from my job and I thought it was a sign. Then, within weeks, they shut them all down because of Covid. It took me 45 years to go to a gym and within a month they were closed.
“I didn’t feel out of place and really was there – so I was gutted.”
Sarah on a hiking vacation with friends in the Lake District. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
When the pandemic lockdown the country, Sarah began exercising on an exercise bike and taking long walks in her father’s living room.
When the restrictions began to lift, friends joined her on 10 to 15 km hikes.
She said, “It was the only way I could see her, so everyone took turns walking with me.”
Sarah says her weight loss changed her life. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
Not drinking alcohol during the lockdown, as her father is not a drinker, also helped.
“I was a bit of a party animal before the lockdown, but it’s a little strange,” Sarah confessed.
“I made the decision to stop drinking in order to lose a little more weight, but I wouldn’t have wanted to drink alone during the pandemic.”
Sarah is walking with friends during the lockdown. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
When they returned to work after the first lockdown in September 2020, their colleagues were “amazed” at their transformation.
“I was in 16th place, but I wasn’t happy. I wanted more, ”she said. “I made the mistake about training.”
That summer, Sarah enjoyed personal workouts and returned to the gym – reaching a major milestone after losing 8th place.
Sarah was size 16 when she got married at 24. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
“The compliments kept coming back,” she laughed.
Sarah started running in the fall, when restrictions resumed.
Sarah’s doctor was astonished when she returned for an appointment in January 2021, soon to be regularly jogging five or six kilometers, four times a week and a total of six or seven times a week.
Sarah weighed 23 before her weight loss. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
She said, “I lost just under the 11th. The sister couldn’t believe it.
“I’m now a size 12 and WW says I’ve lost 10.5 pounds. I have reached my target weight and I feel amazing. “
Enthusiastic about her new, torn figure, Sarah no longer sees her eating habits as diet.
Sarah went for a walk with friends in Covid every day. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
“It’s a lifestyle choice – I have my goodies,” she said.
“WW changed my life. It’s something I’ll live with forever and I’ll never go back. “
She added, “I was just on a hiking vacation with friends in the Lake District, something I would never have done before.”
Sarah with an award from WW. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
But her newfound love for running has benefited her mental and physical health.
She said, “I love clearing my mind. It’s a breath of fresh air and my own thoughts. “
Now she’s so much happier, friends are pushing Sarah to get back on the dating scene.
Sarah with the daughters of her best friend Abbie (right) aged 17 and Georgia (left) aged 20. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
“Apparently I can go out now and find the man of my dreams!” She joked.
And Sarah might even show up on TV one day.
She laughed, “My friends always wanted me to apply to First Dates, and I’ve never felt so confident. Maybe I’ll think about it now in the future – who knows. “
Sarah is now excited to join the dating scene. PA REAL LIFE / COLLECT
But the biggest change of all lies in their happiness in themselves.
Sarah said, “I smile when I look at myself brushing my teeth now. I feel a great sense of achievement and it makes me so happy. “
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On the subject of matching items
Continue reading
On the subject of matching items
source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/23st-woman-too-heavy-for-gps-scales-loses-almost-150lbs-on-diet/
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