Stacie Hird, 41, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, has lost 10st in a single year after walking 10,000 steps a day and ordering children's portions, allowing her to marry her partner in the "dress of my dreams" at a new size eight.
The customer service manager, who reached 18st 10lbs and a size 22, began gaining weight after having her first child, now 16, when she was 24. She said she "ballooned" during Covid when she became less active and comfort-ate snacks like crisps, chocolate and takeaways. She cycled through crash diets but would always regain the weight.
Qualifying for NHS Treatment
Stacie initially ruled out GLP1 injections because she thought she could not afford them privately, until she realised she qualified on the NHS. She claims that due to her asthma and anxiety, she was admitted onto the Oviva programme, where qualifying patients get up to two years of injections on the NHS.
She only needed a year on NHS-prescribed Wegovy to lose 10st, having her final jab in February. She has kept the weight off by eating less and ditching sugar-filled fizzy drinks. Many trusts list a very high BMI, combined with "exacerbation of conditions such as asthma", as qualifying conditions.
Wedding Day Transformation
After getting engaged to partner John Hird, 44, last August, she married him on July 4 this year and wore the "dress of my dreams" in her new size eight frame. Stacie, who now weighs 8st 10lb, said: "I got stuck in a rut and I turned a blind eye. I hit a low when I saw 18st 10lbs on the scales, and realised I could easily hit 20st if I didn't change something. That would have felt like a big thing for me."
She added: "I came across the NHS Oviva programme. I felt so lucky to be given the opportunity, when other people had to pay for these medications - so I knew I wanted to give it my all. I would keep my cravings in check because I didn't deny myself foods I enjoyed - I'd just have a child's portion when we got an Indian takeaway, or I'd have a McDonald's Happy Meal."
Health Improvements and Maintenance
Stacie struggled with her weight after her first child and did not lose it after having her son, 10, with her now-husband John. She noticed her clothes getting tighter and herself getting more breathless along with dizzy spells and low energy levels. Prior to Covid hitting in 2020, she was 14st 7lbs and a size 16, and being less active in lockdown made matters worse.
She said: "I got to a size 22 and I was just buying clothes because they fit, not because I thought I looked or felt good. I got depressed about my weight, I had struggles walking, and my asthma became worse as the weight increased. I used to go to bed Googling ways to lose weight quickly but the crash diets never worked."
She found the NHS Oviva website and went to her GP. In March 2025, she started her course of Wegovy and used the programme app to log her diet and exercise. She said: "I fully engaged - I knew it was now or never." Stacie had minimal side effects and felt "spurred on" by her own weight loss. She came off the jabs in March.
She told Talk to the Press: "I learned a lot about food through the learning modules and re-trained my brain so I could be consistent in what I eat. Now I can see clothes and know they'll fit. It's so freeing, I feel better physically and also in my mind, I feel much more content. The feeling of breathlessness has gone away, I can walk for miles and run around with my son."
Since then Stacie has maintained her loss and showed it off at her wedding. She said: "I felt amazing wearing the dress I dreamed of, that I previously never had the confidence to wear. It was a dream come true."
