Walking into the community hall, I wasn’t holding out much hope. I’d gone there to join Slimming World, but I was sure the medication I took meant I’d never lose weight. As I chatted to the Consultant, Jenny, she reassured me that there were ways around the comfort eating that I felt so powerless to stop. ‘Anyone can lose weight with the right support,’ she smiled. ‘And I promise you’ll find out if you try...’
As a child, I’d been fit and healthy, then everything changed after my dad died, when I was nine. My personality began to alter and my behaviour became erratic – then I began self-harming.
Mum took me back and forth to the doctor’s, then when I was 16, I tried to jump out of a window. Aftera psychological assessment, I was sectioned under the Mental Health Act and placed in a specialized unit where I was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Shock diagnosis
Although I was now getting the help I needed, the diagnosis came as a huge shock. I was living in a hospital, coping with a life-long disorder that – without treatment – can, in some cases, lead to psychotic episodes. Food became my comfort and I ate whatever I could get my hands on: buttered toast, cakes, crisps.
This story is from the November 25, 2019 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 25, 2019 edition of WOMAN'S OWN.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Is it ever OK to lie about your age?
Kaye Adams has done it, and even Mel B jokes that she doesn't believe friend Geri Horner is 51. We ask...
‘I DIDN'T THINK.I'D SEE MUM AGAIN'int ICAT AFAR
MelB on rebuilding her life rebuilding her life after her abusive’ marriage
8 WAYS TO BECOME A MORNING PERSON
Improve body and mind with just a few simple tweaks to your daily routine
WHY YOU NEVER FORGET YOUR FIRST LOVE
(laire Dore, 50, learnt a lot from her first serious relationship
WHAT'S THE NAKED ATTRACTION ?
After a host of celebrities admitted to stripping off behind closed doors, Natalie Brown, 43, decided to bare all to find out just what all the fuss was about
MY FURY AT BEING A GRAN AT 52
Shona Sibary was far from excited when her eldest daughter welcomed her first child
A YEAR IN THE MAKING
Many of us shy away from drastic change but for these three women, it was just what they needed
I LOST 6ST AND FOUND THE REAL ME!
Shay Al-Ajami May, 32, was fed up pretending to be happy, so she decided to make it a reality
WHAT DO YOUR FEET SAY ABOUT YOUR HEALTH?
From heart disease to arthritis, here’s what they might be trying to tell you…
HOW CAN WE HELP OUR CHILDREN?
With more young people facing mental-health crises, we investigate what needs to be done