I was so fat I couldn’t even get out of bed and my little girl always asked why I was so sad – now I’ve shed 12st
A MUM lost an incredible 12st after feeling like her life had fallen apart with postnatal depression.
Katy George reached rock bottom after her weight hit 23st and she was unable to face getting out of bed.
But her mum, Diana, urged her to join a slimming club, and together they have lost over 15st.
The pair have opened their own beauty salon to celebrate the major turnaround.
Katy says she can now be the mum she dreamed of being to Holly, aged five.
The 29-year-old, from Blackpool, says: “I was so unhappy, stuck in bed all day. I was virtually immobile.
“My little girl was always asking why I was sad.
“Now, 12st lighter, she’s always asking me why I’m dancing around the house! My life has completely turned around.
“My mum is my big inspiration. Without her, I’d never have done it.
“I can’t thank her enough.”
Katy was chubby as a child but slimmed down in her teenage years.
However, when she became trapped in an unhappy relationship, she began comfort eating and gaining weight.
In December 2019, she gave birth to her daughter, Holly, and her weight spiralled.
At 5ft 4in, and 23st, she became too depressed to get out of bed.
“I had a difficult birth,” she says. “I contracted sepsis after a C-section and I was very ill.
“I developed postnatal depression, then it was lockdown.
“I was very isolated, and I was in an unhappy relationship.
“I felt so lonely, and food was my only escape.”
Katy adds: “I’d eat meat and potato pie and mash, takeaways, and pizzas.
“I could polish off a whole tube of Pringles. I was trying to fill the void inside me.
“At the start of 2024, I split with my partner, which was the right thing to do, but then I faced the challenge of being a single mum.
“I felt absolutely desperate.”
I used to spend my days in bed. Now I can be the mum I’ve always dreamed of being
Katy George
Doctors warned Katy her health was at risk, and she was referred to a diabetes specialist.
Seeing her daughter’s unhappiness, Diana persuaded her to attend a Slimming World meeting.
Diana, 56, says: “Katy just wasn’t the same girl anymore.
“She had no energy, she rarely went out. I was so worried about her.
“I felt I was losing my daughter. I was less bothered about her physical appearance and more worried about the way it affected her mentally.
“I persuaded her to come to Slimming World with me.
“I’d fallen off a ladder while I was cleaning a few years earlier and broken my back, which stopped me doing exercise. I’d put on a few stone, so I saw it as a chance for both of us.
“I told her I’d pay each week if she lost, and she’d have to pay if she gained!”
DIET SWAPS
Spurring each other on, the pair both went on to achieve incredible success.
Katy says: “My mum was brilliant, she really pushed me.
“I managed to lose 5st before joining Slimming World in January 2024 and we joined the group together; I’d never have had the confidence to do it on my own.”
In her first week, Katy lost an amazing 11.5lbs, which gave her the motivation to continue.
As time went on, she grew to love her new lifestyle, swapping carbs and fatty foods for grilled chicken, salads and sweet potato fries.
One year on, she has lost a further 7st, giving her a total 12st weight loss.
She now weighs 10st 11lbs and has dropped from a dress size 22/24 to an 8/10.
Diana has lost 3.5st, dropping from almost 14st to 10st 3lbs.
The 5 best exercises to lose weight
By Lucy Gornall, personal trainer and health journalist
EXERCISE can be intimidating and hard to devote yourself to, particularly at this time of year, when the rain is as relentless as your craving for carbs.
So how do you find the right workout for you?
As a PT and fitness journalist, I’ve tried everything.
I’ve taken part in endless fitness competitions, marathons and I maintain a regime of runs, strength training and Pilates.
Fitness is so entrenched in my life, I stick to it even at Christmas!
The key is finding an activity you love that can become a habit.
My top five forms of exercise, especially if you’re trying to lose weight, are:
- Walking
- Running
- Pilates
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Strength training
Katy says: “I feel so much better. I have lots of energy and I’m always on the go.
“I owe mum a big thank you. She and I opened our own beauty salon, Natural Hair and Beauty, last year to mark our new start.
“I can finally be the mum I’ve always dreamed of being.
“I used to spend my days in bed, now I’m always out with Holly at play centres or the zoo or LEGOLAND®.
“My daughter used to ask me why I was sad, now she asks why I’m always dancing!
“I’m proud of myself and I know she’s proud of me too.”
Diana adds: “I am so proud of Katy – I feel like I’ve got my girl back and that is worth the world to me.”