A super slimming mum, who was told her weight could affect her ability to have children, looks unrecognisable after shedding an impressive 12 stone.
Laura Neil, 32, decided to lose weight after a picture taken of her at a luxurious engagement party left her in tears.
The Falkirk local had suffered a tragic loss when her beloved father died and she piled on the pounds to cope.
But after seeing the picture of herself on Facebook, she decided that enough was enough and decided to swap takeaways for home-cooked meals.
Laura now weighs 10st 5lb and has dropped eight dress sizes, going from a 26 to a petite size 10.
Speaking to the Daily Record about her transformation, the student midwife said: “I saw a picture of myself and I burst out crying.
"I never looked at myself. A family member took the picture and uploaded it to Facebook.
"I felt I looked really shocking, I had to do something about it."
In 2010 Laura’s beloved father passed away and she coped by binging on crisps, chocolate, and takeaways.
She explained: “I'd always been quite heavy as a child, but I lost my dad to cancer at 21 and on five stone in a year.
“At my heaviest, I weighed 22 stone 8lbs.
"I was depressed from losing my dad. It was very sudden, we were told he had longer left than he lived for.
"I was just eating a lot of junk food and takeaways, I didn't often eat a normal meal that I had cooked myself."
Eventually, Laura feared that her weight may be able to stop her from having children.
As well as feeling embarrassed by the picture taken by her pal during a party at the picturesque Wallace Monument in Stirling, she was told by her doctor that being so heavy could affect her fertility.
So Laura ditched the takeaways and began preparing fresh meals using the Pinch of Nom recipe book.
A year into her journey, weighing 14st 2lbs, she fell pregnant with her daughter Esme who is now five.
Despite gaining back two stone during the pregnancy, she didn’t let it stop her, going on to lose another six stone between 2016 and 2019.
She added: "I had to lose weight to start a family as doctors told me it might affect my chances of getting pregnant.
"I had ups and downs, but I was determined to get back at it. I wanted to get to my goal.
"I would use Pinch of Nom recipes and hand cook my dinners. I'd use Fry Light instead of cooking oil and all fresh ingredients rather than sauces from jars."
After slimming down to 16 stone, Laura then joined the Scottish Slimmers weight-loss programme where she managed to reach her ideal weight.
Now the glowing mum is engaged to fiance Garry McAllister, and feels more confident than ever before.
She added: "It has been life-changing, I'm much more confident, I was very depressed before.
"I wouldn't go out with my friends because I was so embarrassed by my size and worried that people were staring at me.
"Now I can go out and socialise, I would never have taken a picture of myself before, but now I don't mind it.
"I wouldn't be able to be as active as a mum and do the things parents would do with their kids if I didn't lose the weight.
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"I take my daughter swimming and I would never have put myself in a bathing suit before.
"My friends are always saying they can't believe the change in me. Some people don't even recognise me if they haven't seen me for a while."
