A BUSY mum who lost 6st and kept it off has shared her tips, including swapping takeaways for dinner out.
Since Pamela O’Rourke, 44, transformed her body, she has received hate from cruel trolls who say she “loves herself”.
But, having previously lived spending £600 on takeaways every month and hiding herself away because of her size, Pamela now couldn’t be happier.
The mum-of-two even says she is more popular and people are kinder to her in real life.
Pamela, from Glasgow, Scotland, said: “I like to post photos of me in different outfits on TikTok, and that includes bikinis or little dresses, because I’m proud of my body and what I’ve achieved.
“But people comment to say I love myself and that I’m seeking some kind of validation.
“I’ve also been called a show off and an ‘advert for Shein’.
“I try not to let the haters get to me because I work hard to look this good. And I’m not stopping for them.
“It’s funny, now that I’m smaller, I’ve become more popular. But I also get a fair amount of hate on social media.”
Most of us enjoy a takeaway at the weekend, but Pamela got to the point that she was eating them day in day out and spent £36,000 over five years.
In 2016, Pamela spent the equivalent of a sports car splurging on McDonalds, KFC and cooked breakfasts twice a day, five days a week, with her takeaway of choice always a Chinese curry with chips and rice.
Eating around 4,500 calories per day, her takeaway habit saw Pamela go from 8st 11lbs to 15st, and from a size 6 to 18.
The secretary for an electrical company was so embarrassed by her secret eating that she buried the boxes and wrappers in the bins outside her house to prevent her husband Gary, 45, son Jayden, 17, and daughter Payton, 14, discovering her takeaway habit.
She said: “My husband Gary and I sat down and spoke about my takeaway habit.
“I was surprised when he said he knew – he just didn’t know how many.
“When I stood on the scales and saw I weighed 15st, I just wanted to disappear.
“I hated the way I looked. I was a skinny girl trapped in an obese body.
“I was embarrassed that I was wearing XL clothes and some days I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognise myself.
“I was in a dark place when the overeating started. As soon as I saw Payton and Jayden get on the bus for school at the bus stop outside our house, I went back to bed and literally slept the day away.
I found it very hard giving up the takeaways but after four weeks I got used to it and loved my clothes getting baggy
Pamela O’Rourke
“I only got up to eat – a takeaway for breakfast and another for lunch.
“It would make me happy for a short time and I didn’t care how much I was spending.
“When the kids got home, I’d make a homemade meal for them and Gary.
“Even if I wasn’t eating healthily, I wanted to make sure the rest of my family were.
“It’s a huge amount of money but I wasn’t counting at the time.
“I’d have liked to have spent it on clothes, socialising and saving for our dream holiday home, but I was wasting it on food deliveries. I just couldn’t stop.”
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Pamela had always been a slim size 8 until she received unkind comments from a colleague.
She said: “She took an instant dislike to me and would criticise what I was wearing.
“She’d look me up and down, laugh and say things like, ‘it’s not a fashion show’ or ‘your skirt’s too short’.
“She was also very cruel when my grandad passed away and didn’t let me attend his funeral.
“I became depressed, but antidepressants made me sleepy and sluggish, so I stopped taking them and was signed off work.
“That’s when the overeating started. But in November 2020, everything changed.”
Pamela said she was watching TV when she saw a guy she went to school with.
“He was a soldier, had fought in Afghanistan and had MND,” she said.
“He was raising awareness and money for stem cell treatment.
“I thought – what am I doing sitting here feeling sorry for myself when he is fighting for his life?”
In December 2020, Pamela ditched the takeaways for good.
She stuck to 1,000 calories a day, eating chicken, fish, and lots of vegetables and salads.
She also took up walking, particularly at night, when she felt less self conscious.
Pamela was surprised how quickly the weight dropped off over the following seven months.
She said: “I found it very hard giving up the takeaways but after four weeks I got used to it and loved my clothes getting baggy.
“I kept losing until I was 8st 11lb and a size 6, but have since settled at 9st and a size 8, which suits me better.”
Three years later, Pamela is even more aware of what she puts into her body, having ditched fizzy drinks, alcohol and treats.
She said: “I have a biscuit at night with tea, but not a lot of treats.
“Occasionally or on holiday I’ll still be able to have some Chinese food like prawns or Italian bruschetta, but I’m more active and do a lot of walking when away.
“I still eat nice meals out in restaurants rather than takeaway.”
With her new found confidence – and more money in the bank since ditching takeaways – Pamela loves to shop.
She said: “When I was overweight, I felt invisible and couldn’t get assistance.
“But last week, I was in a store and because I looked good and had a little outfit on, I had three assistants serving me at once.
“Now I’m slimmer, people also ask me for advice, when I was never considered before.
“Even strangers ask me about my diet, my beauty regime and where I get my outfits.”
Some people didn’t even recognise Pamela at first.
“When we saw an old neighbour at a party, my husband Gary joked: ‘Do you like my new girlfriend?’ Our neighbour replied sadly: ‘Oh, I really liked Pamela.’
“We burst out laughing. He couldn’t believe it when Gary told him I was Pamela.
“No one should have to go through bullying like I did. It ruined my life and I was a complete wreck.
“Thankfully I feel better than ever now – despite the negative comments from trolls.
“Since saving up money that I once spent on takeaways, we’ve bought a holiday home in Majorca.
“I spend a lot of time there enjoying the hot weather in a bikini – and no amount of hate will stop me!”
