A woman who shed more than 12 stone says losing weight unlocked “pretty privilege”, with men she knew before suddenly trying to date her and strangers treating her with more respect. Christy, 28, weighed 28st 8lbs and wore a size 26 at her heaviest.
She would order huge takeaways while working night shifts, avoid walking just 10 minutes to the bus stop and needed a seatbelt extender whenever she flew. But after being warned by a doctor that she might not live to see 40, Christy overhauled her life – losing around 10 stone naturally before later turning to weight-loss jabs when her progress stalled. She now weighs around 15st 13lbs and wears a size 16/18.
More respect and attention
While Christy says she was never completely lacking in confidence, she has been stunned by how differently the world treats her now. “People in public generally treat me a lot differently to how they would have before,” she said. “I feel I have more respect in public from people, just random people, pedestrians, whatever. People are more respectful and nicer and treat me kinder now I’m smaller. People aren't as dismissive. I've really noticed it – a bit of a pretty privilege sort of thing.”
The change has been particularly noticeable when it comes to dating. Christy says she now goes on far more dates and even men who knew her at her heaviest have suddenly shown an interest. She said: “You know that people wouldn't have spoken to you if you were bigger. When I was 28 stone, I don't think the same people would have approached me. Seeing people that I used to know before, they'd be like, ‘Oh my God, you look so different now’. And they'd all try and get with me. I'm like, ‘What the hell?’ It's so weird.”
A lifetime of weight struggles
Christy had struggled with her weight since childhood and says it was regularly discussed within her family. At just nine years old, she attended Weight Watchers classes provided for children struggling with obesity. She later tried Slimming World, keto, soup diets and even a grapefruit diet involving half a grapefruit for breakfast and another with a boiled egg at lunch.
She also lives with PCOS and was recently diagnosed with ADHD, which she believes has helped her understand her former impulsive and emotional relationship with food. “At my heaviest, I was eating for comfort and because I was bored,” she said. “I didn't really care about what I was eating because I didn't really care about myself. I was overeating so much.”
Breakfast could be leftover pizza or Chinese food, or a huge fry-up with “double everything”. Lunch might be a meal deal plus extra chocolate, another snack and a sausage roll. During night shifts, she would take sweets, chocolate and crisps to work before ordering a large kebab, chips and a drink. A Chinese takeaway could involve rice, noodles, chicken and curry piled into one enormous bowl.
Turning point and transformation
Her weight also began dictating what she felt able to do. She avoided stairs, hated long walks and would even get a lift for a 10-minute journey to the bus stop. Theme parks became another source of anxiety, with Christy recalling having to get off rides in Southend because the safety bar would not fit around her. Flying meant asking cabin crew for a seatbelt extender. Then came the medical warning that frightened her into action. Christy says doctors found fat on her liver and warned that, continuing as she was, she may not reach her 40th birthday.
She was referred for gastric sleeve surgery and underwent therapy in preparation, but ultimately decided against the operation. “I just thought, ‘I need to try one more time, properly, myself’,” she said. “At 28-and-a-half stone, the prospect of losing around 16 stone initially felt almost impossible. I thought I would never be one of those people that had done a before-and-after photo because I just thought that was something I couldn't achieve. I doubted myself so much. It was scary.”
Christy initially lost around two stone on keto before moving towards less restrictive healthy eating. She began walking longer distances, cooking healthier “fakeaways” with her family and walking became part of her everyday routine. Eventually she had shed around 10 stone naturally. When her progress plateaued, she started using weight-loss injections – a decision which initially drew criticism from some followers. “People didn't like it because they thought, ‘You're just going to be another one of those girls that gets all skinny’,” she said. “But I lost 10 stone on my own and it just got really stagnant. I needed something to boost it.”
She still receives trolls calling her “fat” and a “whale”, although she says supportive messages now far outweigh the abuse. But despite losing more than 12 stone, Christy says her mind has not completely caught up with her body. “I still pick up clothes that are size 24 off the shelf and take them home and think they're going to fit me,” she said. “They don't. I still see myself as my old size. When I look in the mirror, I still see it.”
Her weight loss has also left loose skin and changed her chest from around an E cup to a 38C. She is now considering surgery once she has finished losing weight, but refuses to wait for a “perfect” body before enjoying herself. This summer in Turkey, Christy wore tiny bikinis for the first time. “I would never have done that before,” she said. “I used to wear leggings, long-sleeved tops or dresses with leggings underneath on the beach. I would never have been able to wear a string bikini. Now I'm wearing short shorts, little co-ords, going to festivals and wearing all cute outfits. I love it.”
Now, based in Bournemouth, Dorset, Christy walks wherever possible, enjoys swimming and focuses on simple, balanced meals – while still allowing herself the foods she loves. “I still like KFC,” she said. “I haven't restricted myself.” After documenting much of her transformation online since around 2021, Christy says she is proudest of changing her life. She added: “I lost 10 stone on my own while I was away from family. I really had to change my whole life around. I'm proud of myself for doing that.”
