An Angus mum who lost more than half her body weight is urging others struggling with their weight to ‘just walk through the door’ as community slimming classes start up again.
Mum-of-two Alison Strachan from Monifieth has transformed her health, her life and her confidence after years of worry.
The 41-year-old is telling her inspiring story in the hope it can help others find happiness like she has.
Here, Alison reveals:
- The cruel comment that led to her joining the slimming class
- How a large stomach hernia and post-natal depression took its toll on her health
- The joy her transformation has brought to family life
Alison, a council worker, says: “I’ve always been on the heavier side. But having children was an excuse I used when I was at my heaviest.
“I was 23 stone and 4 pounds after my son Benjamin, now 6, was born. I developed a stomach lining hernia through carrying him.
“It was the size of a beach ball. I was in a fragile state and ended up with post-natal depression.
“It was a mixture of things – a new baby, being in a lot of pain with the hernia.
“Because I was big, I wore big jumpers to try to hide it. But the more weight I lost, the more you could see the hernia sticking out.
“At one point, because of my weight, I ended up with a walking stick.
“I was over-compensating with the weight of my hernia so my knees were really sore.
“I was in my 30s but looked like an old woman.
“Pensioners let me sit down in the seat at the front of the bus. It was awful I’d got to that point.”
There was a heartbreaking moment Alison remembers that led her to change her life.
“My weight and health issues really spiralled after I had Benjamin.
“I wasn’t leaving the house, I didn’t want to drop my daughter Molly, who is now 10, at school.
Cruel comment that led to change
“Then one day my daughter came home and said one of her wee friends had said to her ‘your mummy eats all the chocolate’.
“I thought to myself, I cannot live like this: with this pain; the effect on my family; my ability to keep up with my children. That was a lot.
“I went to see about the hernia. I was told they couldn’t fix it until I’d lost over 10 stone.
“Literally the next week I joined Slimming World.
Changing for my children
“I needed to sort myself out or I wasn’t going to be there for my children.
“I wanted to be involved in the fun things, not just there taking the photos.
“We had a family holiday recently where I was driving a go-kart, whereas before I would never have done that because I would think I was too heavy.
“Before joining Slimming World I hadn’t really been leaving the house without my husband Ian or my in-laws.
“The class was the first time I’d ventured out on my own.
“I sat at the seat nearest the door so I could escape if I needed to!”
14.5 stone and 8 dress sizes
As it turned out, Alison’s world opened up and she found support and a whole new set of friends at the classes, which helped her to stick with it.
“There is no judgement at Slimming World so I’d appeal to anyone who is struggling to come and join us.
“The friendship makes it easier.
“This is not a diet because you can’t diet forever.
“It is changing your way of thinking about food and increasing daily activity.”
Within 24 months Alison dropped an astonishing eight dress sizes and lost 14 and a half stone.
“I didn’t lose weight every week. And I don’t put pressure on myself to maintain that target weight,” she says. “I don’t arrange my life around food.
“Sometimes I forget how different I am and I get a shock when a person on the bus can fit in the seat next to me! You don’t realise how bad it has become until you improve.”
So what are the best things about being half the woman she was?
“Being able to go out and enjoy family life means I’m so much happier now,” says Alison. “I have more confidence and energy.
“Oh, and of course, shopping, being able to buy anything at all in Primark is also a bonus!”
