Mum kept off 7st for 7 years
Fears of son being mocked inspired weight-loss efforts
A MUM who weighed more than 17 stone lost seven after fearing her son would be picked on because of her size, and has kept it off for seven years.
Mary Watkins, 42, realised she needed to make a change when her elder son Freddie was about to start school, in 2016.
She explained: “Freddie was born seven weeks premature as he had stopped growing due to the blood flow from my placenta being weak.
“I was diagnosed with preeclampsia and my weight and high blood pressure played a part.
“It hurts me to think Freddie might not have been born early if I’d been a healthy weight.”
Mary was advised to lose weight, especially if she were to become pregnant again. She says: “I did lose a little bit of weight before I conceived my second son, Walter.
“But the weight soon came back on, and as the mum of two small boys, I found it difficult to make myself and my health a priority.”
RUNNING
Mary, who lives in Crowborough, East Sussex, with husband Dafydd, Freddie, now 11, and eight-year-old Walter, decided to join Slimming World after friends mentioned it.
She says: “Previous attempts at losing weight left me hungry and irritable. I couldn’t believe it when I was cooking food for the whole family. I lost 7st in 10 months.”
Mary became more active, saying: “I started out by walking, progressed to running around the block and stepped it up to running a 10k race, which I am so proud of.
“For Christmas, my boys asked for running shoes as they want to come out for runs with me.”
Mary’s next achievement came when she decided to train to become a Slimming World consultant. She says: “I felt so positive – full of life and energy. I wanted to bottle this feeling and give it to everyone who struggled with their weight.”
She has now been named the company’s Top Target Consultant 2024. “I’m the active mum that I always wanted to be and that is just the best feeling,” Mary added.