‘I struggled to work on the frontline – now I’m 6st lighter’
Sarah Wynter, 39, gained a new perspective on her health after looking after COVID patients as an ITU nurse
After having my second child in 2007, I struggled to lose the pregnancy weight, and when I became a student nurse three years later, as a size 16-18, the pounds continued to creep up. Having to juggle my studies or work placements with being a mum-of-two, I found it easier to grab biscuits, ready-made meals and takeaways, rather than preparing something from scratch.
In September 2019, I was working as an ITU nurse and was a size 22 and weighed 17st 6lbs. It was no surprise that the busy 12-hour shifts were killing my feet and back, but I blamed the job rather than my weight because I was in denial. For breakfast, I’d pick up a croissant or pastry and by mid-morning, I’d be helping myself to a slice of cake or some biscuits from the tea-trolley. I’d eat something like fish and chips at the work canteen, and on the way home, I’d pick up a Chinese takeaway or an oven pizza or pasta with a ready-made sauce for dinner with my husband Jonathan, 47, and our kids Alfie, now 18, and Maisey, 14. I just didn’t have the energy to cook.
Alfie and Maisey were healthy and active and I’d often go and watch them at rowing club. But while most of the other parents would run along the tow path for the last few metres to cheer their kids on, I had to walk, which meant I never got to see them cross the finish line. They didn’t mind, but I knew I was missing out. Yet, I still couldn’t commit myself to eating healthier.
Then when the pandemic hit the UK at the beginning of 2020, I saw first-hand the devastating impact of COVID – particularly on elderly and overweight people. It was overwhelming and, as a frontline worker for the NHS, I convinced myself that I was going to die of COVID, too, being the size I was. In fact, I was so resigned to it that I carried on eating junk because I felt it was too late to change. To add to the stress, I was wearing full PPE all the time, and would get so hot that I’d have to get changed during my lunch break because I was sweating so much.
Then, after a few months, I started to turn a corner mentally. By then, we knew more about how best to treat COVID, and I knew that I could either carry on the way I was going or make a positive change to my health, which would help me if I ever got the virus. I’d seen lots of people on Instagram achieve some fantastic weightlosses with Slimming World, so that September, I joined my local group in Hereford, West Midlands. Classes were over Zoom and we’d text our weight every week to the consultant. She’d sent me all the recipe books and after my first group, I went straight out to the supermarket. I’d already told Jonathan and the kids we were going to be eating better and they were fully on board with it, too. I was finally in the mindset, I just needed to get organised.
On my days off, I’d meal-prep work lunches such as pasta salad, and batch-cook tomato sauces for pasta that I could freeze for dinner. I also dug out the slow cooker and would pop in a chicken stew before leaving for work, knowing it would be ready in time for dinner. I loved the plan and I even had a little bit of chocolate every day.
After a month on the plan,
I’d lost a stone and some of my
‘I became convinced I’d die’
friends and colleagues started following my Instagram account, where I posted all my meals to keep myself accountable. By Christmas, I’d lost 2st and had started taking our Labrador dog, Alan, for longer walks, making sure we included some hills to burn off extra calories. I found walking was great at helping me tone up and it was a brilliant stress reliever, too.
At the beginning of July 2021, I got my 4st award and, by the end of my shifts, my feet and back didn’t ache like they used to. When Alfie and Maisey went back to rowing club, I was able to run alongside them to the finish line.
Now, I’ve lost a total of 6st. I’m hoping to lose another stone before I turn 40 next month, but I’m so proud of how far I’ve come and there’s definitely no way I’m going back to my old ways, as Slimming World has become a way of life for me. I still eat everything I love, such as burgers, chips and curry. I just adapt dishes with less fat and I have chocolate biscuits,
I just don’t eat the whole packet.
The pandemic has been terrible for everyone, but it did open my eyes to my own health and the damage I was doing to my body through not eating right. Now I go for 12-mile walks and do Zumba twice a week. And for the first time in my adult life, I’m wearing a size 10-12. More importantly, my outlook on life has changed.
You can contact your local Slimming World Consultant for more information – you’ll find your nearest group by visiting Slimmingworld.co.uk or calling 0344 897 8000. Follow Sarah on Instagram @sw_wynter.