At 43, Kathryn Kerfoot from Leigh, Greater Manchester is showing off her slim figure with confidence and style after losing 4st 2½lbs.
“Walking around the swanky designer concessions in the department store, I kept my head down. My partner, Chris, had insisted I look around as he wanted to treat me to a new dress, even though I hated these places. Well, I loved these places – the problem was, at my size, these places didn’t love me. Surrounded by slim women, I felt utterly intimidated. The sales assistants didn’t say anything, but I could feel them looking at me, thinking: ‘Nothing for you in here, love’. ‘What did you get?’ said Chris excitedly as we met up later. ‘Oh, I didn’t see anything I liked,’ I lied.
She said she has tried different weight loss method like consuming soups, making shakes and even prescription pills but none has worked for her. She kept on gaining weight and she felt hopeless that she can achieve her target.
“Then, in August 2014, Chris and I went on a tour of the Coronation Street TV studios. Although I usually avoided having my photo taken at all costs, as it was a special day, I relented. Oh my goodness, when I saw the pictures! I barely recognised myself.
Moving in with her partner Chris was an exciting time for her and her daughter, Phoebe, but something has silently bothered her about the living together. She was anxious about sharing a wardrobe with Chris because she worried that he might see some of her clothes measured at size 18. She felt ridiculous.
“I decided to embrace this stage in my life by finally addressing my weight, so I joined a local Slimming World group. Although Chris was as supportive and loving as always, I could tell that he didn’t really think I was going to do it. Why would he? I’d said it so many times before. But turning 40, moving in, my daughter, Phoebe, growing up… It felt like the right time.
After a week of joining Slimming World, she has initially lost 6lbs by doing food optimising. She chose low-calorie cooking spray instead of oil in recipes, opted for diet versions of sugary drinks, and instead of eating instant, processed food she cooked her own homemade meals using healthier ingredients.
“Each week, a little more weight came off – and, just by eating the same meals as me, Chris lost 2st, too! Every time I received another half-stone award, he’d buy me flowers or a new charm for my bracelet. And he never stopped telling me how gorgeous I looked and how proud he was of me.
She plans their following week’s meal every Sunday evening, making everything from scratch. They all love those dishes and their top favorites are chicken chow mein and
Spaghetti Bolognese.
“Still I kept turning down that offer of a designer dress – until, that is, I got to my target weight of 11st and a size 12. It was my birthday, so we returned to the department store, this time with Phoebe for extra support. Instinctively, I reached for the bigger sizes, until Phoebe plucked a black and white, very fitted shift dress from the rails. ‘Try it on, Mum, please,’ she said. So I gave it a go. Slipping it over my body, I waited for the fabric to catch or tug or bulge… it glided down perfectly. It took everything in me not to burst into tears. As I walked over to the till, I couldn’t believe how far I’d come.
Losing weight made such an impact in her life. It influence the whole family, especially Phoebe who’s picking up her healthy habits such as going to the gym together.
“For the past 20 years, I haven’t really felt like me. Now I do. This is how I was supposed to look and feel. I’d say to anyone, whatever their age, to just do it. You can’t top this feeling!”
Credits
