For years, 35-year-old Janine Hurst struggled with her weight. At one point, the mother of three said she felt like “the fattest mom” on the playground. A Rotherham housewife stepped on the scales one day and discovered her weight had risen to 25. This was the start of her weight loss journey. She wanted to lose weight for herself and her children, aged six, four and two.
Unhealthy food that I had to give up
The British mum’s diet wasn’t the healthiest. Instead of breakfast, she skipped breakfast and started her day with baked goods, washed down with nine cans of energy drinks. She ate sausage rolls and pork pies every day. While her kids ate a nutritious meal, she reached for snacks. Dinners consisted mostly of greasy Chinese takeaways and dripping kebabs, costing her up to £6,200 a year. That’s almost four times more than the £820 most Britons spend on takeaways each year, according to insurer Zego. She was a UK size 30 and when she stepped on the scale that day she was horrified.“I was the fattest mom on the playground. I used to stand at the school gates, put my head down and try to get away as quickly as possible,” Hirst told the Mirror. She struggled with her relationship with food, using food as an emotional refuge rather than food. When her two children were diagnosed with autism, Hearst turned to food for comfort. By that time, she was truly “disappointed” in herself. Soon her health began to deteriorate. When her child had a breakdown, she couldn’t even console her. “I got up from the floor, trying to calm her down. And then my shoulder popped out of its socket. After visiting the doctor, it became clear that my weight was putting too much pressure on my body,” the mother said.“If I continued to eat the way I was before, I would die very soon. The thought of not being there for my children was overwhelming.”It was a wake-up call. She wanted to be healthy for her children. She wanted to be there when they grew up.
New beginning
A woman who previously turned to Slimming World to lose more than five pounds has decided to resume her weight loss journey. She started by working on her nutrition. Taking control of her plate helped a lot. Mum now starts her day with an English breakfast prepared using a low calorie spray. For lunch she has salmon and salad. In the evenings she eats stir fry with vegetables.She lost 14 pounds in the first week. A year later she had lost six stone. She now maintains a healthy weight of 10st 6lbs. Now she is size 12. Speaking about how her weight loss journey changed her life, she said: “It changed my life. I can run around with my kids and join in on their silly TikTok dances. At the school gate they can’t get rid of me. I chat there for hours. Like many other moms, I put my needs last. But by finally choosing myself, I became the mom I always wanted to be.”