02/09/2026
Same woman. Different life. ❤️
Sometimes I look at old photos and it catches me off guard.
At my heaviest I was 8 stone heavier and wearing a size 26.
Obviously, when you put two photos side by side, the physical difference is the first thing you notice.
But for me, that's only a tiny part of what changed.
Because I didn't just lose 8 stone.
I gained confidence.
Confidence to walk into rooms without immediately wondering what everyone thought of me.
Confidence to wear the clothes I actually WANT to wear, rather than choosing whatever covered me up the most.
Confidence to have my photograph taken instead of automatically hiding at the back or worrying about how I looked.
Confidence to try things, go places, meet people, put myself out there and sometimes even be the person standing at the front instead of desperately hoping nobody notices me. 😂
My body can do things now that I never imagined it would. I have energy. I move more. I experience more. I'm not constantly thinking about whether I'll fit, whether I'll manage, whether I'll be uncomfortable or whether my size will hold me back.
And maybe the biggest change is that I've stopped sitting on the sidelines of my own life.
I'm still the woman in this photograph.
She was funny. She was kind. She was a mam. She was loved. She was worthy. Losing weight didn't suddenly make any of those things true.
But somewhere along the way, I started believing them about myself too.
Life isn't perfect now. I'm not confident every second of every day and I certainly don't wake up every morning thinking I'm Beyoncé 😂. I still have insecurities and wobbles like everybody else.
But I'm living a life now that the woman in this photograph probably couldn't have imagined for herself.
8 stone gone.
But what I've gained?
That's the part no scales could ever measure. ❤️ Slimming World
