My weight was stopping me from living my life as I wanted to

TAKING taxis to avoid walking and working just two shifts a week due to poor health and fitness. This was the reality for Lisa West who said her weight stopped her from living the life she wanted to.

- By NICOLE GOODWIN

Weighing 22st 6.5lb, her 5ft 2 stature struggled to walk even a few streets and she would have to plan routes to avoid putting extra strain on her body.

Lisa, 56, from Walker, said: "I used to get my shopping delivered because I couldn't walk around the supermarket and if I had to go anywhere for work I would be thinking 'how am I going to get there without walking too far?'

"I started to use taxis whenever I wanted to get to and from somewhere. It was costing me £250 a month because I couldn't walk anywhere."

She added: "I used to get anxious if I had to go anywhere. If I went to Gosforth for work I knew that the bus was on the High Street and that meant walking a few streets to get where I needed to be. I used to take half a dozen steps and be out of breath and my back would be hurting. I decided that getting a taxi was easier."

By the time Lisa reached 53 she required a knee replacement after experiencing "severe pain".

"It was constant, I couldn't sleep and could hardly walk. I had to go down to working two days a week because I physically couldn’t do it anymore.

"I had a really, really bad limp. I used to limp to the left, I used to waddle down the street, it was horrific, but it was because of my weight."