'I quit my crisp habit and lost 17st so I could play with my daughter'
A mum has shared how she broke the "cycle of obesity" by ditching her 12-pack of crisps a day habit and losing 17st so she could run around with her daughter.
At her heaviest Sarah Clarke, 35, from Leeds, Yorkshire weighed 31st 6lbs and was a size 32 after using food to cope with the trauma she was feeling.
Her diet saw her eat large kebabs, chocolate and an entire multi-pack of crisps in a day.
The mum-of-one says her wake-up call came after being diagnosed with sleep apnoea and being unable to run around with her daughter, 11.
Initially she lost 3st 13lbs through Slimming World before having a gastric sleeve on the NHS and losing 17stone 5lbs in two and a half years and now weights a healthy 14st 1lbs and wears a dress size 16.
Having experienced a lot of trauma over the last 10 years, including becoming homeless in 2021, Clarke says she would often turn to food to cope.
"Food has been a massive comfort," she explains. "But became an addiction.
"Eating became my therapy, but it was actually abusing me.
"I was eating that much I felt sick and I used to sweat."
Clarke was also struggling with her health conditions, including fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, and was diagnosed with sleep apnoea.
She was inspired to make a change after realising she didn't want to "die like this", but another motivational factor was her daughter.
"My daughter has so much energy," she explains.
"I remember going to the park and barely making it up the hill.
"I was so tired I couldn't give any energy to her. It made me feel sad.
"I watched other mums in shorts playing with their kids and thought I wish I could do that."
Clarke joined Slimming World in January 2022 and lost 3st 13lbs naturally before being offered a gastric sleeve on the NHS.
She had her operation in June 2022 and has dropped down to 14st 1lb over the last two years.
As well as the procedure Clarke also switched up her diet and now eats meals she cooks from scratch, such as curries and stir fry.
Despite overhauling her lifestyle Clarke says she initially struggled to adjust to her new small frame.
"I was learning how to live with a new stomach but an old mindset," she explains.
"My mind was still looking at 31st me."
The weight loss had an impact on her life in other ways too - she now no longer has sleep apnoea and she is able to tie her shoes and get out of bed without rolling.
As well as her diet, she has also introduced a new fitness routine and now goes to the gym with a personal trainer and walks.
"Before my feet used to swell up," she says.
"I was in pain all the time.
"I could barley get off the sofa."
Clarke is proud of her journey but is struggling with a stone of excess skin she has been left with.
She has been denied skin surgery on the NHS, having been told she needs to get her weight down to 11 or 12st before she can be reconsidered again.
She is now trying to raise £10K to undergo the operation privately and remove the "scars of my old life".
"It's still preventing me from doing the stuff I'd like to do with my daughter - like swimming," she explains.
"I can't wear a sleeveless dress.
While she tries to fundraise for her skin removal surgery Clarke, who runs a mental health peer support group, is trying to embrace her new healthier lifestyle.
"I'm feeling more free," she explains.
"I finally broke the cycle of obesity."
Diet before:
Breakfast: Four slices of toast and butter or two bowls of cereal
Lunch: Chips, cheese and gravy
Dinner: Takeaway - a Chinese or kebab
Snacks: Crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks
Diet after:
Breakfast: Scrambled egg with mushroom/bacon (with no fat)
Lunch: Carrots and hummus
Dinner: Stir fry with chicken or beef
Additional reporting SWNS.
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