How one mum lost almost 10st
When Terri Seager had her daughter, she knew she had to lose weight in order to be the best parent she could…
I’d always been overweight, but I never thought it was a problem. loved food – far from a fussy eater, I’d clear my plate every night. Although I vaguely noticed I was bigger than my classmates, I didn’t know about healthy eating, nutrition or calories, so I just presumed that was my shape.
It didn’t hit home until I was 15 and ordering a prom dress online. We didn’t have a tape measure, so Mum suggested I try on Dad’s 42in trousers to get an idea of my size. But, when they fitted snugly, I was horrified. ‘Don’t tell anyone,’ I begged Mum, face burning. I shouldn’t have been shocked – I was already wearing a size 18.
I’d always eaten huge portions, but now my intake went up as I started a part-time job in a pub kitchen. Not only did I constantly eat any spare chips, but I’d also order my meals from the menu.
My next job was at McDonald’s. The one after that, Wetherspoons. Yet, even when I needed size-20 clothes, it didn’t occur to me to diet. I’d seen my mum try, and fail, to lose weight, and I didn’t think it would work for me, either.
I thought I’d accepted my fuller figure but, looking back, I realise it did affect me. On nights out, I’d get drunk to combat my selfconsciousness, and I always had more male friends than female. I think they saw me as ‘one of the lads’ – not somebody their girlfriends would be threatened by.
My weight didn’t stop me from having relationships, but they were all short-term flings. When my latest romance ended in 2012, I decided to go online, as dating sites and apps were all the rage.
One of the first men I messaged was Aaron Cullern, now 26. He was about to move from London to where I lived, in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, and wanted to meet new people. We met up various times but were only casually dating when I fell pregnant in 2013.
I was understandably shocked, but decided to keep the baby. Of course, I told Aaron. Although taken aback, he suggested we give it a go as a proper couple.
While I was pleased, I also felt insecure. Was Aaron with me because he wanted to be, or because of the baby?
When pregnant, I lost weight as my sweet tooth disappeared, but I was still too large. In fact, I often worried I didn’t look pregnant, just fat. At my scan, the sonographer told me it was hard to see the baby because of my ‘cushioning’ and, when discussing my birth plan, a doctor mentioned I might not be able to have an epidural. ‘After all, you’re no Kate Moss,’ he said.
I was humiliated, but what could I say? It was true.
Beau was born in April 2014. I had an emergency C-section, then got an infection. Even when I recovered, I didn’t feel up to going to baby groups, so I stayed at home and ate instead. My selfconfidence had plummeted.
By the time Christmas arrived, I’d put on 3st and was up to a size 26. Beau had mastered crawling, and suddenly my weight mattered. I felt like I was holding her back – something that was only going to get worse as she grew older.
So, I told Aaron that I was going to try diet pills. He shook his head firmly. ‘If you’re going to lose weight, do it safely,’ he said.
I couldn’t deny his logic, and decided to look into Slimming World. A friend of mine looked great after losing weight with them. When I researched my local group, I saw it was held in a church I could see from our livingroom window. I had no excuse.
‘At this size, I felt I’d always be holding my little girl back’
Thankfully, my mum came too, or I’m not sure I’d have made it to that first meeting in January 2015. I was so nervous – especially when I weighed in at 21st 9lb.
But everyone was friendly and supportive, and I threw myself into it. I was surprised to find I could eat pasta, rice, potatoes – everything I loved. In that first week, I honestly didn’t eat any less than usual – just foods that were ‘free’, or calculated into my Syn allowance… and I lost 4lb.
Within a month, I’d shed a stone. In a year, I was 6st lighter. At the start, I had no idea how much I wanted to lose – I’d vaguely thought getting to a size 16 would be fantastic. But when I got there, I knew it wasn’t enough.
Now, at 26 and 5ft 5in, I’m a size 12, weigh 12st and have a new aim – to get down to a healthy BMI, about another stone away. Now I’m nearly 10st lighter, I’m already a much better mum to three-year-old Beau. We go swimming every week, and out to the park most days.
I showed her an old photo of me recently, and she shook her head. ‘That’s Big Mummy,’ she said. ‘ Want Little Mummy.’
It was a very emotional moment. My daughter chose the new, healthy me. And so do I, every day.