A mother-of-four who consumed up to 10,000 calories a day has shed half her body weight after becoming so large she could not fit on a rollercoaster. Danielle McGill was determined to transform her lifestyle when she weighed 22 stone and wore a size 26 due to years of unhealthy eating.
The 36-year-old from Sunderland said she turned to food as a coping mechanism after her father died of bowel cancer in 2019. Following the birth of her third child, she admitted neglecting herself further, eating Toby Carvery fried breakfasts, McDonald's lunches, and evening kebabs daily.
Humiliation at theme park
Danielle revealed she grew so large that she could not squeeze onto a rollercoaster at Flamingo Land, despite theme parks being a beloved pastime she shared with her dad. In January 2025, she started using appetite-suppressing injections and within a year dropped an incredible 10 stone.
Now weighing 11 stone 11 pounds and fitting into a size eight, Danielle, who has launched an aesthetics business, says she is much happier and can enjoy rollercoasters with her children again.
Coping with grief
Danielle said: 'I think my weight just crept up over time because of my lifestyle. Then in 2016 my dad was diagnosed with cancer. We were extremely close, I saw him every day and I did all of his care. He passed away in 2019 and I wasn't in a very good place for a long time. I'd just had a baby as well. His passing has still left a huge loss. I was just trying to pull through – I wasn't very kind to myself, I had a lot of negative thoughts and shame about my weight.'
'I was so unhappy, eating was a way of coping, but it was self-sabotage. I used to stay in the house, I had to pull myself up the stairs with the bannister. I wouldn't go into soft play because I was scared I'd get stuck. I was eating between 5,000 and 10,000 calories easily. Me and my dad used to love going to theme parks, then after he passed away, I couldn't get on because I was too big – it was humiliating.'
Life-changing decision
In January 2025, Danielle overhauled her lifestyle and began weight-loss injections, shedding 10 stone within a year. She can now enjoy rollercoasters with her children and sit comfortably in theatre seats without anxiety.
She said: 'In order to be a better parent and a better person, I needed to lose weight. It was for the children and bettering myself. After having kids, I was neglecting myself. I felt unhappy and that radiates out of a person. It was never about being a bikini model, it was about being healthy. The day I decided to give myself compassion for everything I'd been through and be kind to myself was when I started changing my lifestyle.'
'There were so many non-scale victories. I was able to go to the theatre – the seats are tiny, I didn't have to stress about fitting in the chair. I was able to go on a rollercoaster at Alton Towers with my kids and not stand in the queue thinking 'am I going to get on?' That felt massive. I do feel proud, but it feels surreal.'
Encouraging others
Danielle now encourages others on a weight-loss journey to be gentle with themselves. She explained: 'I completely changed my lifestyle, I eat healthily. It's not been a quick-fix, it's been a complete lifestyle change and the injections have just given me the headspace to do that. The money I spent on takeaways, I just spent on injections instead. I was spending all my money on food.'
'I feel much happier and more confident. I would say to other people: don't put too much pressure on yourself, take it a week at a time. Give yourself the same kindness you'd give to a friend.'
Diet transformation
Before weight loss, Danielle's daily diet included a fried breakfast at Toby Carvery, McDonald's lunch, Chinese or kebab for dinner, plus chocolate, cakes, sweets, donuts, and two litres of Pepsi Max. Now she eats protein iced coffee for breakfast, high-protein meals like chicken with rice for lunch, steak with vegetables for dinner, and snacks like apple slices with peanut butter, protein bars, and nuts.
