A woman lost half her body weight after receiving a life-changing wake-up call.
Sophie Higginbottom, 30, from Ellesmere Port, was 17st 11.5lbs at her heaviest which she said was "holding her back".
But after joining Slimming World, the 30-year-old lost a hefty 8st 11.5lbs, according to the Liverpool Echo.
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She had been struggling with her weight since being a teenager - now she's being named Slimming World's Woman of the Year 2021.
"I did well in my studies at university and knew that I wanted a career in psychology," she said.
"Traineeships were so competitive though, and I just didn’t have the confidence to even apply for them.
"I had struggled with my weight since I was a teenager and couldn’t seem to get it under control. I would always avoid cameras and just hated having my photo taken – it was getting to the point where I barely recognised myself.
"When my niece, Lily, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in August 2019 I turned to food for comfort even more.
"Thankfully Lily recovered well, so as a family we decided to do a charity 5K to raise money for Alder Hey Hospital, where she had been treated."
Sophie described the moment as a wake-up call and caused her to begin changing her lifestyle.
She added: "I soon realised how unfit I had become – I could barely finish the course and lagged about half an hour behind everyone else. It was then that I decided I had to do something about my weight.”
She didn't tell anyone about joining Ellesmere Slimming World group at first, except her partner.
She said: “I was really scared to walk into the group on my own that night.
"I thought that I would be the biggest person there and that I would probably fail – which is why I didn’t tell my family and friends where I was going.
"That was the hardest step of the whole experience because from that moment on I was surrounded by love, support and kindness from my Slimming World group.
"For me, group is the number one feature of Slimming World. Without a group to look forward to every week I don’t think I would have done so well.
"Group taught me that it’s ok to love myself. "
In her first week, Sophie lost 5lbs.
She said: “I’d tried lots of diets in the past, but nothing ever stuck because I felt so restricted.
"With Slimming World, I could still enjoy lots of hearty and delicious food. At first, I think my fiancé was dreading the food he would have to eat with me – but I soon changed his mind!
“Slimming World has changed my relationship with food for the better. I was scared of food before, now it’s my best friend. I forward plan exciting and filling meals for the week ahead and I take it as a bit of a challenge to make Slimming World-friendly versions of all our favourite foods."
Sophie has now become much more active and is now even a keen runner.
Recently, her partner Alex proposed, leading her to have something to be excited for.
Before losing the weight she would have dreaded the special day.
Sophie said: “My partner Alex and I recently got engaged.
"Planning a wedding is actually something I’m excited about, I definitely think it would have been something I dreaded before I lost weight.
"I’ve been to try on some wedding dresses, and it was such a lovely experience. I felt beautiful and really comfortable having my photograph taken, which is a world away from the way I felt when I was almost 9st heavier.
“I feel like this is the version of me that I was always supposed to be. I’m so much more confident and full of life.
"I recently applied to become a trainee psychologist and was overjoyed when I got the position – it’s just something I wouldn’t have felt able to do before. Nothing feels out of reach anymore, and that’s an amazing feeling.”
Sophie's 'before' diet
Breakfast: Nothing
Lunch: Shop-bought sandwich
Dinner: Filled pasta with a creamy sauce and garlic bread
Evening: Crisps, chocolate, sweets, biscuits
Sophie's 'after' diet
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast with mushrooms
Mid-morning: Fruit and yoghurt
Lunch: Leftovers from a home-cooked meal the night before e.g. chicken casserole
Dinner: Hunter’s chicken lasagne with salad
Evening: A sundae made with fruit, low-calorie ice cream and crumbled meringue or a Slimming World Hi-Fi bar
