TWO mums have become firm friends after losing an incredible 28 stone between them.
Christine Robinson-Lloyd, 55, shed 10st, dropping from 21.5st and a dress size 34 to 11st and a slinky size 12.
Kelly Barker, 44, weighed 28.5st and was a dress size 32 before losing 18.5st. She now weighs 10st and is a size 8.
The two women, who did not know each other previously, spotted each other’s recipes on Instagram and began chatting.
Realising their journeys were uncannily similar, they have become best pals, supporting and motivating each other through their battles with food.
Mum-of-three Christine said: “When I was small, I was humiliated for being overweight.
“I was taken out of class to be weighed in front of the dinner ladies.
“I even had to sit on a separate table in the dining hall. I was made to feel I had done something wrong.
“When I spoke to Kelly, she had been brainwashed with that same sense of shame.
“Because we weren’t allowed treats as kids, we both became secret eaters, eating more and more to hide our embarrassment.
“It’s amazing how similar our journeys have been.
“We got chatting on social media a couple of years back after spotting photos of each other’s meals – we are both visual eaters and so presentation is important.
“I have a sweet tooth, Kelly is savoury, so we complement each other perfectly.
“When we met for the first time this summer, it was like we were old friends. We connected in a very special way; we are soulmates.”
Christine, from the Wirral, says her relationship with food took a wrong turn in primary school.
“I was a little chubby, that was all, but I was made to feel like an outcast,” she said.
“At home, my twin sister was allowed chocolate whilst I had a Ryvita.
“At school, I was taken out of class to be weighed, and so the whole class teased me over it.
“I had to sit at my own table and eat a special diabetic lunch even though I wasn’t diabetic.
“The GP threatened me with weight loss injections, which terrified me because I was scared of needles.
“The idea that I had a serious weight problem became a self-fulfilling prophecy, because I ate in secret to try to cheer myself up.”
If I’d known how much that decision was going to change my life, I’d have done it years earlier
Kelly Barker
By the time she was 15, Christine weighed 14st. At 27, she weighed 21.5st and was a size 34.
She lost weight on diets but ended up with an eating disorder and eventually put the weight back on.
“My health was poor,” she said. “I had asthma. I missed out on so much with my three sons because I was too big and too ashamed to leave the house.
“I tried all sorts of yo-yo diets, I abused laxatives, and I developed an eating disorder.”
Aged 41, she joined Slimming World and hit a total loss of 10st over the next three years.
She was so pleased with the change in her life that she became a consultant and now runs her own group in Ellesmere Port, Merseyside.
She also trained as a counsellor as part of her journey.
Christine said: “Be kind to yourself.
“Losing weight takes time and resilience. Make changes you can sustain long-term.”
Christine’s diet before –
Christine’s diet now –
Mum-of-one Kelly, from St Helens, had a similar experience.
She said: “I was a little overweight as a child, but I was made to feel so ashamed.
“I was bullied at school. My name was ‘Kelly the Elephant’ after the children’s song.
“I had to be weighed in front of a teacher, and I had specially prepared food.
“When the rest of the school had ‘fish and chip Friday’, I had boiled fish and potatoes.
“To this day, I can’t eat boiled fish. The smell takes me right back to those days.”
Our weight loss has changed our lives – and our friendship is the icing on the cake
Christine Robinson-Lloyd
She added: “In my teens, I became a secret eater. I got a part-time job, and I spent all my money on treats.
“I’d have a bag of sweets hidden in my coat pocket, so nobody had any idea. I ate and ate, because I felt deprived.”
Kelly, a teacher, hit 28.5st.
“I felt I was letting my son down,” she said.
“At work, I felt like a fraud because I lectured the children about healthy eating.
“I was nominated for a teaching award and instead of feeling proud, I just felt I didn’t deserve it. I really hit rock bottom.”
In 2019, she joined Slimming World in Southport, Merseyside, but was so ashamed, the group leader had to come out to the carpark to coax her inside.
“I was convinced I’d break the scales,” she said.
“I didn’t want everyone knowing my weight. But from that first moment, I was welcomed. I really loved the group.
“Food was the easy part, breaking old habits was the difficult bit.
“If I’d known how much that decision was going to change my life, I’d have done it years earlier.”
By 2023, she’d lost 18.5st, completely transforming her appearance and her life. She also spotted Christine’s recipes on Instagram.
“I have a savoury tooth, Christine is sweet, and so we swapped recipes,” she said.
“We got chatting and found we had lots in common; we were mums to boys, we both had cockapoos.
“But the really important stuff struck a chord. Like me, Christine had been ostracised at school because of her weight.
“She’d felt humiliated and turned to binge eating.
“We shared the same emotions, the same anguish, as we grew up.”
Kelly said: “Plan your meals in advance.
“It keeps you disciplined and will save a fortune as you only buy what you need.”
Kelly’s diet before –
Kelly’s diet now –
The two women have now become lifelong friends and finally met up in person this summer.
Kelly has even spoken to the members at Christine’s Slimming World Group.
Christine said: “We really are soulmates. And if one of us is feeling tempted, the other will step in for support.
“It makes me sad in one way that Kelly suffered as I did, particularly as she is much younger, but it’s wonderful to find someone who understands me too.
“Our weight loss has changed our lives – and our friendship is the icing on the cake.”
