A super slimmer has shed nine stone after being left “mortified” by holiday pictures that ruined her memories of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to New York.
Emily Duggan, 25, had hoped to frame the snaps from world-famous landmarks such as the Rockefeller Centre, Times Square and Grand Central Terminal.
“I took seven of the same t-shirt to New York because it was so baggy, it’s all I would wear,” she said.
But the school admin worker said she was so shocked when the camera revealed just how overweight she had become, she couldn’t even look at them.
She took the decision to ditch her daily routine of two lunches.
Despite taking a packed lunch, Emily would sneak out for a midday McDonalds or a KFC too.
After weighing 23st at her heaviest, she dropped a staggering nine stone in less than two years and is now a trim 14st.
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Emily, who is 5ft 9in, has also dropped six dress sizes, going from a 26 to a 14 after swapping burgers for fruit and following the Slimming World plan.
“I loved New York, it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but looking back at the photo, I looked awful and I hated myself. It ruined the memories,” she said.
“I wanted to frame photos from the trip, but I couldn’t because I just hated them. I couldn’t look at them.”
Emily went on the trip of a lifetime to the Big Apple with her mum, dad and sister in August 2018 to celebrate her parents 25th wedding anniversary.
She started her diet properly in January 2019 and managed to lose five stone before plucking up the courage to join a group.
When she finally signed up to her local group in November that year, the pounds continued to drop off her and by December 2020 she weighed a much healthier 14st.
She said: “I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t bear to look at myself in the holiday pictures.
“I started a new job and was introduced to a woman who had lost lots of weight with Slimming World.
“She encouraged me to join, but I hated the way I looked but I was too embarrassed to step on scales in front of someone, so I avoided joining a group.
“I did it on my own for the first few months and when she set her own group up in November, I joined because I felt comfortable and she was so supportive.”
Emily, who is single from Bradford, West Yorks., would skip breakfast but regularly gorge on sugary snacks such as chocolate and would have a weekly takeaway for dinner.
The school worker has fat free yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, a sandwich on wholemeal bread for lunch and a tasty jacket potato with cheese for dinner.
She now exercises regularly and has even bought a smartwatch to track her workouts.
She said: “I used to love takeaways and I would snack a lot.
"I was the first to the table when someone brought cakes in at work.
“On a Saturday night I could get a big bar of chocolate and eat it in front of the TV and I would eat a lot of convenience meals.
“I’ve made so many changes to my lifestyle.
"I used to eat a lot of pasta with sauces out of the jar, I don’t do that at all now.
"I cook everything from scratch.
“I feel so much better now.
"I’m so much more confident in myself, I used to cover myself up.
"I had to shop in the plus size section of shops.
“Because I’m quite tall, some people say I don’t need to lose any more weight, but I’d like to lose another stone, I’ll be happy then.”
Emily's diet before
Breakfast: Emily would skip breakfast
Lunch: A sandwich, crisps AND a McDonalds or KFC
Dinner: Pie and chips
Snacks: Chocolate, crisps
Emily's diet now
Breakfast: Fat-free yoghurt and fruit
Lunch: Wholemeal ham and cheese sandwich
Dinner: Jacket potato with tuna and cheese
Snacks: Fresh fruit, jelly
