A woman labelled as "the fat one" at work has lost 7.5st after ditching fizzy drinks and controlling her portion sizes.
Leah Taylor, 24, from the Vale of Glamorgan, confessed she was "never really sure of my exact size" and wore baggy clothes to hide her body.
But things changed when she started a new cleaning and security airport job. She was almost immediately called "the fat one", which led to her quitting just weeks after, according to Wales Online.
Lockdown saw Leah reach her heaviest weight of 17.5st and she developed anxiety, and a fear of what people would say about her weight behind her back.
Her anxiety developed into agoraphobia, which is fear of being in situations where escape might be difficult or that help wouldn't be available if things go wrong.
However, she decided to make a change to her life in October 2021 and started a meal replacement plan, which saw her drop from 17st 7lbs to 10st.
At her starting weight Leigh was a size 26 and lived in baggy clothes, hoodies, and leggings.
She said: “I wanted to lose the weight because I put so much on during lockdown. I longed to be able to wear whatever I wanted in the summer and not live in baggy shirts and leggings. I was constantly hot – even in the winter I would have a fan on me.
“I was referred to as ‘the fat one' when I started a new job and left immediately. That was on my mind for months because I suffer with anxiety and I really pushed myself to get that job.
“I felt really bad about myself when I went clothes shopping. Sometimes I'd come out of the changing rooms crying with clothes I wished would fit me or look nice on me, and that's what really changed my mindset – I knew only I could do something about that.”
Leah’s meal replacement plan involved her consuming a low-calorie diet, comprised of shakes and bars for breakfast and lunch, and a healthy meal in the evenings.
She admitted her portion control before the diet was non-existent. She said: "I normally had a big bowl of cereal for breakfast. I'd occasionally have a second bowl if I was still hungry. Dinner was whatever my household was having – normally with a side of chips and full-fat fizzy drinks.”
Leah has now turned her mind to exercising more. "I recently bought some weights and I'm thinking about turning my spare room into a workout space," she said. "I'm going to focus on building muscle and toning my body with home workouts alongside finally being able to be comfortable on my exercise bike which I found very hard to use before I lost the weight."
Anyone embarking on a low-calorie diet plan or who has a medical condition and is looking to change their diet should seek medical advice from their GP or a healthcare professional first.
