Fill up as you slim down like I did
At her biggest, Hannah Bavington wore size 30. Now, she’s a size 12 and has never been happier…
Putting the CD into the computer, beautiful photos flashed up on my screen. They’d been taken a few weeks before, in June 2015, at my children’s christening. Austin, then one, and Connie, five months, looked adorable, and my husband, Chris, was beaming as we marked the occasion with our friends and family.
But, as I came across a picture of myself, the smile slipped from my face. There I was in a black and white dress, and I was huge. As I took in my bloated belly and bulging bingo wings, I burst into tears.
It felt like I’d let the kids – and myself – down. ‘ You look beautiful,’ Chris comforted, when he found me crying.
I knew he loved me – big, small and everything in between – but I didn’t love myself. Not that day, nor, in fact, any day for a long time…
Growing up, I’d always been on the big side. When I’d met Chris in 2007, aged 16, through mutual friends, I was a size 16. Not exactly what you’d call slim but, at 5ft 5in, I didn’t feel uncomfortable in my body.
We moved in together soon after and, both of us unable to cook, fell into a routine of getting takeaways every night.
By the time we married, in June 2011, I was a size 20. And I was only set to get bigger when I fell pregnant with Austin in June 2013 and Connie in May 2014.
You see, I suffered terribly with symphysis pubis dysfunction, which caused severe pain in my pelvis and my lower back. It made exercise almost impossible and, when I was weighed a few weeks after Connie was born, I was 22st 7lb. Shameful.
Yet being a new mum meant my eating habits got worse. I’d fuel myself through the day with packets of crisps – they were easy to eat one-handed, and they wouldn’t go cold!
Unsurprisingly, I ballooned. I got to such a size that I’d avoid sitting on the chairs at soft play in case I couldn’t get back up. And when I went supermarket shopping near our home in Bedford, I’d park as far away from the entrance as possible, so no one could see me struggling out of the car.
But, after seeing those christening pictures, I decided enough was enough. I tore up the takeaway menus, cut out the crisps and tried to make sensible food choices.
A few months later, in September 2015, I saw a Facebook friend posting about her Slimming World group. She’d lost lots of weight and it got me thinking… perhaps it would be easier if I had more support?
I did some research and found there was a local class the following evening. There was no time like the present… So, Chris agreed to watch the kids after work and I called my mum, Angela, now 56, to ask if she’d come along for moral support. She agreed, and I promised to pick her up. That way, I’d have to go, otherwise I’d be letting her down, too.
The following day, I stepped nervously on to the scales. Still a size 30, I weighed 20st 1lb. Although the numbers were shocking, I was secretly pleased – I’d shed more than 2st on my own. But I still had a long way to go.
I bought a recipe book, downloaded the Slimming World app, and Mum and I hit the shops. I bought fresh fruit and vegetables and vowed to learn to cook from scratch.
It wasn’t as difficult as I’d
‘As I laced up my trainers, I’d find myself grinning. Me… a runner!’
thought but, the following week, when I’d only lost 3lb, I couldn’t help sobbing. I’d tried so hard and had expected a bigger loss. My consultant gently explained that I needed to follow the plan carefully – I’d been missing out on my quota of ‘daily Syns’ when I shouldn’t have been. It was a fine balance to eat enough but not too much but, next week, I’d dropped a further 4lb.
‘ You’re doing brilliantly,’ Chris encouraged.
By early December, I’d shed 2st. After a year, I’d lost a further 4st! The support of the group was invaluable and, in time, I started running, too. As I laced up my trainers, I’d find myself grinning. Me, a runner!
In October 2018, I reached my target of 11st and a size 10-12. It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s changed my life. I don’t think twice about taking Austin and Connie out to play, I park where I like, and I eat in public without the slightest smidge of self-consciousness.
Now, at 29, I hope my story will help other people. You really can lose weight when you set your mind to it.