you’ll never believe it: When mrs round met santa
Christine Round, 34, hated this photo of her and Santa but now it means so much
‘I rolled into the New Year as a size 26’
As I watched my daughter’s bottom lip start to wobble, and her hands clench into angry fists, I could feel my heart sink.
It was December 2015 and my youngest, Gracie, then two, was refusing to sit on Santa’s knee for a photo. Her older sister Elisha’s smile started to waver as her sibling played up.
Camera shy
The only way to rescue the situation was to jump in and give Gracie a cuddle while the photo was taken. But, as a size 26, I hated being in front of the camera. Taking a deep breath, I scooped Gracie into my arms. ‘Say jingle bells!’ the photographer said. As I plastered on a grin, I made a silent wish, ‘Please Santa, let black be as slimming as everyone says it is…’
Up until I had the girls, I’d been a size 14, perfect for my 5ft 6in frame. But after Elisha was born in September 2007, followed by Gracie in 2013, I suffered from postnatal depression and comfort ate to cope. Every night, I’d reach for the takeaway menus. ‘How about an Indian?’ I’d say to my husband, James. Though the depression eventually lifted, our bad eating habits stuck
I went up to a size 18, then a 20, then a 22. People started to snigger when they heard my name – Mrs Round. I could see the funny side. But my confidence began to dip. So when the photo was taken at Santa’s grotto, I ended up not even looking at it. Instead, I kept it in an envelope in Elisha’s memory box. That festive season went by in a blur of puddings. I rolled into New Year a size 26, my bulk putting a strain on my hips. It hurt so much that I asked my friends to take the girls to school. Only, at the end of March last year, Elisha got upset. ‘I want you to walk me,’ she cried. ‘I can’t sweetheart,’ I said. ‘Mummy has bad hips.’ Seeing her sad face dug deep inside me. The next day, I joined Slimming World. I weighed in at 21st. ‘I’ll never be able to do this,’ I sobbed to James. ‘It’s OK,’ he said. ‘I’ll do it, too.’ By now, James was 18st 6lb. Together we weighed 39st 6lb. So we started making healthier meals and even joined the gym. I began to lose 2-3lb a week and, as my muscles grew stronger, the pains disappeared. That Christmas, we avoided stocking up on chocolate and, come January, we hadn’t put on a single pound!
Then, in May this year, Elisha was waving something in her hand. ‘Look at this, Mummy!’ she said. It was the snap at Santa’s grotto from December 2015. It was the first time I’d seen it. I looked bigger than Santa! And yet, appalled as I was, there was a part of me that felt thrilled too, realising just how much I’d lost – I was now fitting into a size 14!
I saw the photo as a way of keeping focused. And, this Christmas, I’m 2st off my goal weight of 11st, and James has lost 6st.
But best of all, Elisha, now 10, and Gracie, four, love having a mum who walks them to school and a dad who takes them to the park. So instead of hiding that photo away, I’ve made it my Facebook profile picture. It’s a proud reminder that now I’m simply Round by name – not by frame!