A woman who drastically changed her life after feeling 'embarrassed' on a plane has lost more than 11 stone.
Sarah Speight, 35, struggled with her weight all her life and weighed 25st at her heaviest. She hated shopping for clothes, avoided socialising with her friends, and was terrified of the gym - but she tried "every diet" out there and nothing seemed to stick.
Then an 'absolutely awful' experience on a flight inspired her to change her ways, and now she feels much happier and more confident in her body. Sarah weighs 13st 8lbs and feels 'amazing' in a dress size 14, but says it's about much more than her appearance.
Opening up about how she felt when she wore a size 28, Sarah said: "I got a feeling that people would walk past me and say 'Look at the size of her'. It gets in your head. People would just stare at you and wouldn't say hello or anything. It was like I was in some kind of freak show." Now, she says people smile at her more and say hello.
"I feel like you're treated like a normal person [when you lose weight]," she said. "I find that people interact a lot more with me. They'll talk to you and let on and smile at you, whereas before nobody batted an eyelid. The more people notice just makes you feel so good about yourself. And it's something I'm not used to because I've never had that."
Sarah said she 'always knew she was big', but started to dramatically gain weight in her 20s. "Vegetables weren't really my thing, it was always, always junk and I just couldn't stop. It was a massive addiction that I had," she said. "In most cases, I could probably quite happily eat a full pizza in one go and still not be full. I was never one for the gym, the thought of exercise terrified me."
Her size had a huge impact on her social life. "I hated the thought of going out, or going shopping - I'd rather stay in on my own," Sarah said. "I had to look at shops online where they catered for bigger sizes and didn't have much choice in what I wore. I had to go for whatever would fit me as opposed to what I liked. I didn't really have a life to be honest. I hated going out, I would avoid all social situations."
Sarah said she "lost a lot of friends" because she didn't make the time to see them. "I would literally just sit on my own in my room at home just avoiding contact with anyone," she admitted. At the beginning of last year, she was told that she'd need to take medication for her blood pressure and decided to look into weight-loss surgery.
But it was an 'embarrassing' experience on a plane that gave her the final push. "I was going to Iceland and I had to sit near the window because I was so embarrassed to ask for a seatbelt extender. I had to pretend that my seat belt looked like it was fastened when it wasn't," Sarah said.
"It was absolutely awful because I thought, 'I'm the only one squished into my seat'. I couldn't move my legs. I was spilling into the person's seat next to me and I just remember thinking, 'This is so embarrassing I can't do this anymore'." So, she decided to save up for surgery and opted to have a gastric band fitted privately in February 2023.
"I paid for half of it with my own money and then financed the rest of it with the hospital. So I paid them back each month," Sarah said of the £11,000 operation. "I probably could have got it with the NHS, but the waiting list in my area was at least five years. You have to lose weight beforehand which I couldn't do, and you also have to attend appointments every week with work which I couldn't commit to."
She underwent the surgery in Alexandra Hospital, Stockport, and has lost 11st 7lbs in the last year. Now, she weighs 13st 8lbs and wears a dress size 14. Sarah said: "It's completely changed my life. I've now got new friends and a new love for the gym which I never thought I'd say.
"My confidence is now through the roof. Everything is just amazing. It's the best money I've ever spent. And I would still really recommend it. If anybody's in the same situation as me, it's 100 percent the best thing I've ever done and I've got no regrets whatsoever."
Sarah's diet before
Breakfast - bacon sandwiches, bread
Lunch - pizza, ice cream cake
Dinner - McDonald's, chocolate cake, crisps
Snacks - crisps, biscuits, cheese, chocolate
Drinks - full fat Coca-Cola, lemonade
Sarah's diet after
Breakfast - Cheerios, Weetabix or porridge with blueberries
Lunch - small tuna sandwich
Dinner - chicken and vegetables
Snacks - low-fat yoghurt, one slice of cheese
Drinks - protein shake, water
Exercise regime - Three hours of exercise every day, including one hour of 'freestyle' in the morning - stairmaster, rowing machine, treadmill and cross training; and two hours of classes in the evening
Do you have a weight-loss story to share? Get in touch. Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.