Patients notice how much energy I have
Beki Ware, 30, is an emergency medical technician, and is also training to become a nurse. She lives with her partner, Rhys, in Redruth, Cornwall
All day I’d been dashing from one patient to another, taking bloods and checking temperatures, supporting nurses. I’d just been promoted from a healthcare support worker to an emergency medical technician at a busy hospital, and on top of that I’d been accepted on to a nursing course.
Reaching my target weight the previous summer had given me the confidence to believe I could go for my dream career. And it came at a time when the NHS needed all hands on deck.
Three years earlier I was working as an NVQ health and social care assessor. Being on the road a lot, I never found time for lunch, and by evening I was ravenous, filling up on pizza or ready-meal chilli. It took every ounce of strength just to get out of bed.
Having fibromyalgia, which causes pain all over your body, and the effect of the medication I took, meant I got tired quickly and my weight wasn’t helping. I felt miserable, my self-esteem at rock bottom. I desperately wanted to retrain as a nurse, but didn’t believe I could.
In January 2018, after a relationship break-up, a friend took me to Slimming World. I’d already convinced myself it wouldn’t work. I’d tried everything else – how would this be different?
Finding out I could eat filling, tasty meals that worked around my hectic lifestyle boosted my confidence. When I didn’t have time for breakfast, I’d keep Slimming World highfibre bars on hand, then have pasta salads for lunch and home-made chilli for dinner. When I met my partner Rhys, I was 2st 7lb lighter and had the confidence to apply for my first job in the NHS. After losing 5st I was able to come off medication for fibromyalgia.
When I was promoted last April, I was so grateful to be in good health, especially as the pandemic hit. At 5st heavier there was no way I could have stayed on my feet for 13-hour shifts, running up and down a ward in PPE. I feel like a different person. The patients comment on my bubbly personality and boundless energy, and I know it’s down to losing weight. I feel so lucky to be able to make a difference.