A mum who believed her tiredness and struggles to do everyday tasks were due to “just being a mam” never realised how much weight she had gained until she saw a photo of herself from a night out.
Kat Simm said she cried when she spotted herself in the photo and “couldn’t believe” she was looking at herself.
Kat, from Stanley, County Durham, said: “[It] took my breath away. I had no idea I was as big as my photo showed. I cried. I hated the way I looked at it. It really, really upset me. I couldn’t believe I was looking at me.”
She added: “The photo was all I could think about, it really hadn’t occurred to me that I had got so much bigger. I knew in myself that I was struggling with day-to-day things and running around after the kids was so tiring. I thought that was just being a mam though.”
It was a pivotal moment for Kat who said she knew she had to change her lifestyle “to become healthier and happier in myself and to be there for my children”. But after hearing so many “conflicting messages about weight loss” Kat said she didn’t know where to start.
“I had tried to do it myself”, said Kat, adding: “All of my previous attempts at losing weight hadn’t been sustainable and I found myself going back to my old ways of eating as soon as I hit a blip.”
Kat Simm shed 4st 11lbs after a photo taken during a night out shocked her into making a change
(Image: Slimming World)
Kat said she had tried a personal trainer, meal plans, cutting down on various food groups and restricting her portion sizes, but “nothing worked”.
“I was even more miserable. I constantly felt like I had failed and there was no way of doing this at all”, she said.
But one day when she returned home she found a leaflet for Slimming World had been posted through her letter box and she decided to join a group.
Kat added: “I had heard of Slimming World but honestly thought that the groups were full of old ladies who turned up to see their friends and have a coffee and chin wag each week. I was so pleased to see that it was nothing like that.”
“My consultant was fun; she was a member herself. She understood how I felt and made me feel at ease. The group had men, women of all ages and everyone was so friendly.”
Kat said she lost 5lbs in her first week and “was over the moon”. She added: “I had never lost that much before. I started to feel my mindset switch and started to see me achieving my dream weight.”
Now she has lost 4st and 11lbs and has even reversed her type 2 diabetes.
She has swapped takeaways, frozen convenience foods and chocolate for home cooked fresh meals and no longer finds herself binging on foods because she always feels full.
Kat Simm shed 4st 11lbs after a photo taken during a night out shocked her into making a change
(Image: Slimming World)
Kat said: “On a Sunday night I’ll normally plan my meals ahead for the next week. Personally I find that planning is the key. It works great for me. I must be organised as my life is hectic.”
She added: “When I joined Slimming World, I was type 2 diabetic. I no longer am! By making changes to the way I shop, cook and eat I am now in a healthy weight range and no longer worry about this.
“I can do so much more with my children without needing a nap! I’ve met a new partner as my confidence has grown. I have developed a love for activity and go swimming now which I never ever thought I’d do. I love summer where I can wear little dresses that I have never worn in my life.”