'I lost 7.5st after getting out of breath going to the toilet'
A woman who "used to get out of breath going to the loo" has explained how it kick-started a weight loss journey which saw her drop 7.5st.
As well as finding herself breathless while walking short distances Siân Russell, 30, a business developer, from Coalville, Leicestershire, realised she wanted to make a change when she saw pictures of herself at a family gathering.
At the time she weighed 16st and wore a dress size 18, but says her size made her feel depressed and anxious as well as impacting her self-esteem.
So, in January 2020, she decided to overhaul her lifestyle in time for a "new year, new me".
Tragically, two years into her health and fitness journey, in December 2022, she lost her partner to suicide, which left her unable to leave the house for months.
Gradually, however, after realising her partner would have wanted her to live her best life Russell started going to the gym and focusing on healthy eating habits.
In September 2023 she suffered a further setback after breaking her leg in three places while on holiday and requiring the use of a wheelchair for months, but she returned to working out as soon as she could.
Now Russell says she goes to the gym four to five times a week and walks up to seven miles a day.
Her new regime has seen her lose an impressive 7.5st, with her now weighing 8st 7lbs and wearing a dress size 8-10.
Speaking about her life when she was at her heaviest, Russell says: “I used to sweat and get out of breath, even just getting up and going to the toilet.
“It impacted my mental health so much I wouldn't even look at myself. I suffered really badly with depression and anxiety and knew I had to do something about it.
“I would see pictures of me taken at family events I couldn’t believe it when I was looking at the pictures."
Before losing weight, Russell says she would regularly snack on donuts and cheese, as well as drinking alcohol regularly and not exercising.
When she decided to make a change, she started following the mantra “eat less, move more” and began swimming and walking to increase her activity levels.
Over two years she lost 3st, but in December 2022 her partner tragically died.
Russell says she was severely depressed in the months following and struggled to leave the house.
But eventually realised she had to keep living for him and made the decision to go back to the gym.
Over the next year she lost another 2st, taking her weight down to 11st in total, before breaking her leg while on holiday in Menorca.
Despite being in a wheelchair for two months, she started working out as soon as her leg was in a boot cast.
She goes to the gym up to five times a week and walks up to seven miles per day.
She also overhauled her diet avoiding dairy and trying to eat "clean" – snacking on celery and packets of baked crisps – but says she still occasionally indulges in a donut.
Now Russell has lost nearly half her starting body weight.
“I used to find myself having to rock to get off the sofa," she says.
“No matter how bad things get, if you change your lifestyle things will start coming into place."
The weight loss has had other impacts on Russell's life too.
“I feel like I’ve found my style again," she explains. "I have more energy, I sleep better and my skin is better."
“Overall I'm just happier and I know it sounds daft but people do look at you differently."
Changing her lifestyle has had an influence on her self-esteem too.
“My confidence is so different," she says. "Before I couldn't make eye contact with people but now I want to be seen because I have done so well.
“When I look back I can’t really remember being that person before – I just know I was very unhappy and even the simplest of tasks was really hard.
“I could have cracked and not done anything about it but I just realised life is too short and you've got to go with what you've got.
"My partner would be proud to see me now," she adds. "I'm a completely different person."
Russell's diet before her weight loss
Breakfast - sausage roll
Lunch - pasta and a ready meal
Dinner - takeaway pizza or Chinese
Snack - cheese or crisps
Drinks - drinking heavily five times per week
Russell's diet after the weight loss
Breakfast - porridge or low calorie bagel
Lunch - tuna or chicken salad
Dinner - steak or chicken
Snack - low calorie egg bagel
Drinks - water
Additional reporting SWNS.
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