A MUM-of-two has revealed how she lost an incredible six stone – by eating what she wanted and not exercising. Abbie Cox, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, piled on the pounds during her first pregnancy with son Tommy as she gorged on sugary cereals and junk food. The 28-year-old was left “feeling insecure” and dreaded trying on clothes […]
A MUM-of-two has revealed how she lost an incredible six stone – by eating what she wanted and not exercising.
Abbie Cox, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, piled on the pounds during her first pregnancy with son Tommy as she gorged on sugary cereals and junk food.
The 28-year-old was left “feeling insecure” and dreaded trying on clothes as her weight peaked at 18st and wore a size 20.
It was after giving birth to her second child, Marley, in 2017 that she decided she had “had enough” of how she looked and joined Slimming World.
In just under a year, Abbie incredibly dropped to 11st 6lbs and now wears a size 10 to 12.
She said: “I had gained five-stone during my first pregnancy in 2012. My everyday diet was very unhealthy, I didn’t eat much fruit or vegetables and had takeaways quite often.
“My weight yo-yoed between then and my second pregnancy in 2017 due to fad diets that were only temporarily successful.
“I felt very insecure. I dreaded shopping for clothes because I felt like nothing looked good on me.
“My girlfriends are all very slim and I just felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb.
“My eldest son would always want me and his father to run around with him as he is a very active child, and I just couldn’t do it for very long and I felt terrible for it.”
Abbie recalled an occasion where she was left mortified after an elderly woman commented on her weight.
She said: “One elderly lady once said, ‘She’s a size, isn’t she?’.
“Whilst describing someone else to me, the same lady also said, ‘She’s as fat as you are’.
“I felt quite angry that she didn’t have a filter, and then instantly embarrassed as I was stood next to a friend when she said this.”
Abbie said that her mum had encouraged her to join Slimming World in 2012 after the birth of her first child, now five.
She said: “I’d just had enough of how I looked and felt.
“A month later, I discovered I was pregnant and tried to continue to food optimise but my morning sickness could only be soothed by ham sandwiches and yogurts.
“Two weeks after having my youngest son, I walked back through the doors and re-joined Slimming World.”
Slimming World helped Abbie optimise her food in a way that she felt comfortable, allowing her to eat what she wanted without putting on the weight.
Her breakfast meal now consists of oat pancakes and strawberries, she eats chilli chicken skewers, butternut squash chips and salad for lunch and a bacon, lettuce and pepper sandwich with salad for dinner.
Losing weight has changed my life. I feel so much more confident now, much more energetic and I’m always buying new clothes that fit my smaller frame
Abbie Cox
She said: “By food optimising, Slimming World allows you to continue to eat your favourite foods and provide delicious alternatives to takeaways.
“You can eat out at restaurants and still be on plan. It’s very easy to follow and has changed my outlook on food.
“Losing weight has changed my life. I feel so much more confident now, much more energetic and I’m always buying new clothes that fit my smaller frame.
“I feel like my old self again, which is what I’ve wanted for the past six years. I never used to eat fruit and vegetables and now I eat so many on a daily basis.
“I don’t necessarily portion control, but I ensure that the majority of food on my plate is protein or vegetables. I have yet to start exercising.
“I thought my weight loss would plateau and exercise would help to boost it, but I’ve managed to lose all this weight on just food optimising.
“People have this amazingly shocked expression on their faces and tell me they didn’t recognise me.”
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