Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I lost 8 stone after being told I was too heavy for a zipline
Deirdre shares her top tips after weight loss win
DELIGHTED Deirdre Killen is on a high over losing 8st – after being turned away from a zipline for being too heavy.
The mum of two from Crossgar, Co Down, recalled her devastation when she was told could not take part in the holiday activity in 2016.
She said she has been “overweight” all her life, and “always just accepted” she was the “big” one in her friend group.
On a holiday to Cornwall four years ago, she visited an adventure centre and was filled with dread as wearing a wet suit was her “worst nightmare”.
Deirdre declined to take part in everything, saying it wasn’t her thing, when in reality she felt “ashamed and embarrassed”.
The 31-year-old told how low she felt when, in a separate activity, she was weighed beforehand.
She said: “Feeling very left out, I plucked up the courage to do one of the ziplines, only to be taken to the side, asked to be weighed and to be told I was too heavy.
“I wa s d e v a st a t e d . I still remember that moment to this day. Trying to fight back the tears in front of everyone to save face.
“I had just suffered my second miscarriage in a year and we were on that holiday as a distraction from how low I felt – but at that moment I felt the lowest I have ever felt in my life.”
After giving birth to two girls, Deirdre said the “weight loss was put on hold for a bit”.
She added: “I knew I needed to change, it would definitely start to affect my daughters’ lives too.
“To tell my kids they couldn’t do something because of my weight just wasn’t an option for me.
“I downloaded a calorie tracking app, headed to my local shop, sto cked up on food and planned out my meals.
“If you’re excluding f ood you love, it’s never going to work for you long term. I lost eight stone and never dropped my calories below 1,600.”
She added: “Knowing treats are part of my day prevents the binge eating I would have done on previous diets.”
Aside from working out, Deirdre believes it is important to keep your steps up.
She uses a skipping rope and does a few minutes, every hour. And she is even sharing tips on Instagram @deelightfood. Last August, she climbed Slieve Donard – a huge achievement as she used to get out of breath just tying her shoe laces.
Deirdre added: “I am constantly on my feet now, and when anyone suggests anything – be it hiking or fairground rides – I say yes. I feel great and have so much
more energy.”
Excluding food you love won’t work in long term DEIRDRE KILLEN, ON HOW BALANCE IS KEY