Lying on my sunbed next to the pool as the sun beamed down, I couldn’t help but notice the lady next to me. She was larger than me with swollen ankles, and her size meant that she was struggling to get off her sun lounger to walk over to the hotel buffet.
Seeing the impact her weight was having on her, I suddenly felt really guilty. ‘If I don’t do something soon, that’s my future,’ I realised. It was September 2022 and I was on holiday in Antalya, Turkey, with my partner Gareth, then 41. As I compared myself to the woman beside me, I was acutely aware of how big I had become.
FEELING THE STRAIN
Although I didn’t weigh myself, I lived in baggy, size-24 clothes, and my knees, back and joints were constantly aching. I couldn’t do simple things like bend down and clean out a cupboard without feeling out of breath and in pain. And whereas in my 20s I had loved scuba diving, the last time I’d tried to get a wetsuit on, back in 2019, it had been such a struggle that there was no way I would attempt it again!
I’ve always battled with my weight, which was something that I put down to a number of factors. Being a single parent for years to my daughter Alexia, then 16, meant that I’d got into the habit of eating convenience food such as ready meals and takeaways. I worked as a nurse and as I had become more senior, my role had become more sedentary. I also had a very unhealthy relationship with food. For example, I would fixate on certain things and eat the same food every day just so I didn’t have to think about it.
This story is from the April 01, 2024 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 April 01, 2024 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