A WOMAN revealed how being cheated on led her to balloon in weight.
Harriet Southan, 31, from Cheltenham, UK shared how she first started gaining weight as a teenager after her first boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend.
After the ordeal, she turned to food for comfort.
Her typical diet consisted of a bowl of cereal, chocolate croissants and crumpets with butter and jam for breakfast, a McDonald’s or sandwich, crisps and chocolate for lunch, and takeaways for dinner – with Diet Coke as the only drink throughout the day.
Although Harriet had tried weight loss groups seven times – she ultimately found herself at a weight of 20-stone and five-pounds by the time of 2020’s pandemic lockdown.
Harriet decided to have life-changing surgery after being called a “fat c***” by a drunk stranger while queuing for Britain’s Got Talent.
“I was a comfort eater, I ate to distract me from my feelings,” said Harriet.
“I knew I needed to lose several stone, and it seemed impossible on all the fad diets I had tried.
“In lockdown I couldn’t cope with what I saw facing me in the mirror. This girl was lost.
“I had always been confident, but would easily feel hurt inside if people looked at me or were whispering around me, assuming it was about me.
“I knew I was in there somewhere under all the weight. I felt unworthy, depressed, and very saddened that I had let myself get into such a state.
“I knew I had to do something about it, lockdown was here, and I couldn’t stand how I looked.
“I wanted to wear jeans, I wanted my feet to not hurt so much when I went out in heels because of my weight.
“I wanted to feel better, look better. I would get out of breath, hated stairs, would get hot and bothered especially in summer.”
Harriet is proud of the fact she has lost nearly 7st in just eight months, even if she did have help with surgery.
She was also aware of the way people would look and treat her for her weight before the surgery, which would obviously hurt her.
“On nights out, my friends would get attention and I would be the wingman friend who got stuck with their friends – who were never interested.
“One guy even said he’d take one for the team by being with me. I felt like these were very cruel comments as I have a really big heart, and consider myself a very giving loving person. I felt like I was never good enough. It would upset me deep down.
“Another time, I went to see live auditions for Britain’s Got Talent and there were some drunk people behind us and they were swearing.
“I looked around and the next thing I heard was ‘fat c***’. I was so upset and wanted to go home as I felt so uncomfortable.”
Sick of not being happy with how she looked, Harriet decided to have a VSG surgery – a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, in which some of the fat is removed.
Harriet is now just 13-stone nine-pounds, and has dropped from a dress size 20 to a size 12.
“I can run around with my energetic six-year-old who has ADHD. I can fit into small clothes, and have started sharing my friends’ clothes- it’s such a lovely feeling.”
Harriet Southan
While the operation was a success, Harriet says that she feels there is some stigma around this method of weight loss.
“Some friends told me I could do it myself and I didn’t need an operation,” she said.
“Funnily enough these are the friends who never comment on my new appearance, never tell me how proud they are of me, or ever tell me I look great.
“I didn’t make the fact I had my surgery public, but I often get asked at school on the playground at pick-up time how I’ve done it and I never know what to say – I think I just freeze.”
Since the weight-loss surgery, Harriet has stuck to a high protein diet.
She added: “I start my morning with a protein shake, for lunch, I graze on cheese and cold meats, and for dinner I have a home cooked meal usually consisting of meat to keep my protein levels high.
“I eat off a small side plate to control my portions – I can only handle a small amount of food now but still get the satisfied feeling I’ve eaten.
“I hardly ever feel hungry, and I drink lots of water, something I never used to do.
“I go to the gym three times a week, I do classes and Zumba and want to look into pole dancing to strengthen and tone my core.”
She added that she is much happier now.
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” said Harriet.
“I wish I had known more about it in my twenties as I probably would have taken the plunge sooner.
“I am so much more confident, content and happy in life. I’ve decreased the dosage of my antidepressants as I don’t need to depend on them now.
“I can run around with my energetic six-year-old who has ADHD. I can fit into small clothes, and have started sharing my friends’ clothes- it’s such a lovely feeling.”
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