MY BIG FAT LIE
Poster girl for plus-size positivity admits ‘I was wrong’ after losing 11st
A PLUS-SIZE poster girl has admitted her confidence was a big fat fake after she shed more than 11 stone.
Sarah Doyle, 46, modelled and blogged about plus-size fashion and championed a positive image of her size 24 frame.
But she swallowed her pride and admitted she wanted to slim down after being forced to do the walk of shame off a fairground ride.
Sarah was too big to get on a swing as she struggled to squeeze the safety bar across her 18st 13lb body.
She joined Slimming World a few weeks later and now weighs in at a petite 7st 7lb and is a size eight.
Sarah said: “People were telling me to manoeuvre the buckle, but I knew I didn’t fit.
“It wasn’t the seat that was the problem…. it was me.
“I felt physically sick when the attendant asked me to leave the ride. I went to the darkest place in my head, and it was the longest walk of shame.
“I felt embarrassed, in pain and worthless. I was fighting back the tears. I used to champion being plus size and say ‘big is beautiful’ and say that I was happy.
“But really I wasn’t on the inside. I can’t speak for anyone else, but that’s how I felt.”
Sarah – who stands at just 4ft 10in – used to eat doorstep slices of bread with thick butter. She snacked on sausage rolls, crisps and fizzy drinks, while her dinner was often a takeaway.
Mum to 11-year-old Angelica, she suffered from sleep apnoea and high blood pressure as a result of her weight – but still painted on a smile to fake body positivity for her followers.
Four years since the fateful funfair trip, Sarah works as a Slimming World team leader. She cooks meals from scratch, has taken up running and snacks on fruit.
Sarah said: “I look so different that people who I haven’t seen for a while often can’t believe I’m the same person.
“But for me it’s the change on the inside that’s the greatest. I’m happier, healthier and much more confident now. I see [old] pictures of my self and think, ‘She is the past’. “But I know there are hundreds of people who want to change but don’t know how,” added Sarah, of the Fenlands, Cambs. “That’s why I am a Slimming World consultant, so I can help others.”