Real Life The picture that means so much
Shocked by her own reflection, Toni Spurgeon decided it was time to change
Wrapping my arm around my youngest son Alfie, then 11, I called on my husband Barry, then 37, to take a picture of me with the birthday boy. It was November 2019, and before now my larger-than-average frame had meant that I’d often shy away from the camera. But after losing almost a third of my body weight in just eight months, I was only too happy to show off the new look that I’d worked so hard for.
The battle with my weight began in my late teen years when steroids to manage my asthma resulted in excess weight gain. My 5ft 5in frame increased from a size 10 to a 14. Then, at 20, I fell pregnant with my first son, Tyler, and craving chocolate and biscuits throughout my pregnancy, I put on a further 4st by the time he was born in June 2000. I’d never considered myself to be unhealthy or overweight, but as Tyler grew, I realised that simply running after him in the garden was becoming difficult.
Out of control
Over the next five years Barry and I suffered six miscarriages.
I turned to sugary treats to help me through each heartache and by the end of 2007, I was a size 18.
When I gave birth to Alfie in November 2008, I was more unhealthy than ever. Even walking upstairs left me gasping for breath and I couldn’t go anywhere without my Ventolin inhaler. But I just couldn’t control my appetite. I could easily devour a bucket of fried chicken or steak and chips meant for two.
Then, one day in 2010, Tyler, then 10, gasped at me in disbelief. ‘Mummy, are you having another baby?’ he said. I tried to laugh it off and told him he was mistaken, but I was mortified. Still, it wasn’t enough to make me change and I instead began wearing baggy black clothes to hide my weight. It wasn’t until 2012, while undressing at a tanning shop, that I caught sight of myself in a long mirror and was devastated by how big I’d become. It was the first time I’d really looked at myself properly, and I didn’t like what I saw.
I booked in to see my GP, who warned me about my dangerously high BMI and suggested I try a weight-loss plan with WW (formerly Weight Watchers).
That September, I went to my first meeting and when I saw that I weighed 16st, I felt so ashamed. Immediately I set about making changes to my diet and lifestyle. I cut down on portion sizes and swapped the fried chicken for white meat and lots of salad. Chocolate became a rare treat and I began to go for a walk during lunch breaks at my job as a phlebotomist.
Motivated to change
In the first month, I lost a stone and it was the motivation I needed. As the months passed, the weight continued to drop off. I began to fit into clothes I hadn’t worn for years and the wheezing and breathlessness ceased as my asthma came under control.
Just eight months later, in May 2013, I reached my target weight of 10st 7lb. Over the next few years I continued to lose more and now I weigh 9st 10lb.
I feel much more confident, but the most rewarding part is that I’m a better mum to my sons as I have so much more energy. That, and the fact there’s no mistaking me for being pregnant now!
‘MUMMY, ARE YOU PREGNANT?’