Lycra? No problem at all for super slimmer mum
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A SUPER slimmer who swore she’d never wear Lycra has told how she shed the pounds and now runs miles with her son.
Emma Wilkins, 37, from Pontypridd, lost 4st 6lb after joining her local Slimming World group, and has now been at her target weight for around a year.
Before she joined the weight loss group in January 2019, she always said she would never wear Lycra and wouldn’t even dream of putting on some running shoes, but just over two years later she is a completely different person with a different mindset.
The mum is now running throughout March to raise money for the British Lung Foundation, and what’s more is that she’s doing it with her son Logan, who inspired her to get healthier.
Emma said: “I wanted to do it for my son. He’s 11 this year, and we are both going to kick boxing together. That’s what motivated me.
“I said I would never be seen in fitted clothing, and would never be seen running on the road, but since lockdown happened I did it as a way of keeping fit. As I got a bit more determined I started doing it for charity.”
Emma explained that prior to her weight loss she had been back and fore to the slimming group but had struggled to commit fully beforehand.
But after snacking, eating too many takeaways and always preparing easy meals as opposed to healthy ones, she said it got to the point where she thought enough was enough. When she reached that point she realised she wanted to get healthier for the sake of her family.
“I said to my partner I’m going back for good and that was it,” added Emma. “I’ve never looked back.”
Overall, Emma has dropped from 13st 13lb to 9st 7lb, and she said it was down to a “big change” in her diet.
She said she tried to find things that she loves to eat, but just made them healthier by using Slimming World recipes.
Emma said: “I like to make fakeaways.
“I tried to find things that I like, but just make them healthier, like pancakes and waffles.
“We have versions that you think would be bad, but are really good.”
In terms of being more active Emma has also got more into kick boxing since shedding the pounds. She was back and fore to a local club before she started her weight loss journey, but losing weight really gave her the confidence to progress.
She knew she wanted to carry on with the sport, and getting fitter helped to motivate her more.
“I have two more proper grades now before my black belt,” Emma added.
“I started back a couple of months before I went back to Slimming World.
“I’m much happier. I suffered a lot with anxiety, but since losing the weight the confidence has gone up.”
It’s the boost in confidence that helped Emma get out on to the roads, and running more during lockdown.
Emma said: “We are running 40 miles in 30 days. We still have 12 days left and we have nearly finished. It’s really great.”
THE husband of a BritishIranian mother detained in Iran for the past five years has said his wife “remains in harm’s way” and “in the middle of this government game of chess”.
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 42, has completed a near five-year sentence in the Islamic Republic over allegations of plotting to overthrow its government – charges which she vehemently denies.
Her family – including Cardiff-based sister-in-law Rebecca Jones, who is a GP in Cwmbran – have long campaigned for her release.
The mother-of-one finished the latter part of her sentence under house arrest and had her ankle tag removed yesterday – but must still appear before an Iranian court in a week’s time.
Her husband Richard Ratcliffe said yesterday that “it’s a mixed day for us” and “Nazanin is genuinely happy” to be free of her electronic bracelet.
He said: “I’m a bit more guarded. It feels to me like they have made one blockage just as they have removed another, and we very clearly remain in the middle of this government game of chess.”
He said he was “grateful” for the “strong words” of Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who earlier condemned the “cruel and intolerable” treatment of Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and called for her swift return to the UK.
Mr Ratcliffe added: “She is having a nice afternoon, has turned her phone off and is not thinking about the rest of it. But she remains in harm’s way, even if today she is determined not to feel it.”
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, of north London, was arrested at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport while taking her young daughter Gabriella to see her parents in April 2016.
The charity worker, who was employed by the Thomson Reuters Foundation at the time of her arrest, strongly denies the charges and rights groups say she was jailed with no evidence and her trial was unfair.
Foreign Secretary Mr Raab said in a statement: “We welcome the removal of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s ankle tag, but Iran continues to put her and her family through a cruel and an intolerable ordeal.
“We have relayed to the Iranian authorities in the strongest possible terms that her continued confinement is unacceptable.”
The UK has been locked in a high-profile diplomatic tussle over Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s detention and the UK Government has afforded her diplomatic protection, arguing she is innocent and her treatment by Iran failed to meet obligations under international law.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been used as a political pawn, according to Nobel Laureate and Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi, and civil
rights groups like Amnesty International say her trial was unfair and she was jailed with no evidence.
Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told Sky News that “hostage diplomacy is wrong, immoral and absolutely disgusting”.
Kate Allen, director at Amnesty International UK, said: “Nazanin was convicted after a deeply unfair trial the first time around and this spurious new charge and possible trial is clearly designed to delay her release and exert yet more pressure on Nazanin and her family.
“The UK Government must not take this lying down. All the past talk of not leaving any stone unturned to secure Nazanin’s release must now be translated into very serious diplomatic action.”
The UK is thought to owe Iran as much as £400 million over the non-delivery of tanks in 1979, with the shipment stopped because of the Islamic revolution.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s constituency MP, Tulip Siddiq (Hampstead and Kilburn), has linked the debt with the case.
She said last month: “My constituent’s life is basically a bargaining chip because she’s not being set free because we haven’t fulfilled our responsibility of paying the debt.
“If there’s some movement on that I reckon Nazanin’s chances are increased.”
Foreign Office minister James Cleverly called the debt and Nazanin’s imprisonment “unrelated issues” when it was raised in the House of Commons last November.
Mr Cleverly said in the same session: “We recognise the debt is due. We are working to resolve this.”