From 22 Stone to Life Reclaimed: How a Photo Sparked a 7 Stone Weight Loss Journey
In an exclusive revelation, Emily Collins has shared her harrowing yet triumphant battle with obesity, detailing how a single photograph taken by her young daughter became the catalyst for a life-altering transformation. The 46-year-old psychiatric nurse from Louth, Lincolnshire, weighed over 22 stone at her heaviest, wearing size 26 clothing and grappling with severe mental and physical health crises that led her to multiple suicide attempts.
"I was eating myself to death," Emily confesses, reflecting on years of binge eating on huge portions and sweet treats while her self-esteem plummeted. "I didn't want to die, but I didn't see any way out." Her struggles began in adolescence with an undiagnosed eating disorder, cycling between restriction and bingeing, which caused her weight to creep up through her twenties and thirties.
A Vicious Cycle of Health Decline
Emily's weight issues were compounded by diagnoses of bipolar disorder and Addison's disease, a rare chronic condition affecting adrenal gland function. Prescribed Orlistat tablets by her GP, she admits they became an excuse to maintain poor eating habits. "I thought the tablets would do the work for me. I wasn't changing my habits," she recalls.
By her forties, the physical toll was immense:
- Difficulty walking and playing with her three children
- Medication for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and hypertension
- Deteriorating mental health that consumed her daily thoughts
"For years, my weight consumed me. It was the first thing I thought about when I woke up and the last thing on my mind before bed," Emily explains. Despite attempts at calorie counting, gym memberships, and cutting snacks, nothing provided lasting change until January 2023.
The Turning Point: A Daughter's Photograph
Everything shifted when her eight-year-old daughter, Ella Grace, snapped a picture of Emily holding a drawing labeled "Mummy." "Looking at it, I barely recognised myself," Emily describes. "I knew something had to change. I just sat for a few days and thought, I really need to do something about it - it's just a little bit of a sobering picture to see."
This moment of clarity prompted Emily to seek help through the NHS self-referral app, where she was offered a choice between a twelve-week gym programme or Slimming World, with weight loss surgery as a last resort. "I suddenly thought, God, I don't want to die. I've got three children and there is actually something I can do about it," she says.
Transformation Through Slimming World
Choosing Slimming World over surgery, Emily joined her local group in August 2023, initially feeling ashamed but finding warm welcome and understanding. Her Consultant, Ann, introduced her to the Food Optimising plan, which emphasizes filling up on low-calorie foods like lean meat, fish, pasta, rice, fruits, and vegetables without strict calorie counting.
The programme's active lifestyle component encouraged small steps toward movement, leading Emily to co-found a women's football team. At home, family takeaways were replaced with nutritious home-cooked meals. "We now enjoy nutritious, filling meals together, and I feel proud knowing I've given my children the tools to live healthier lives," she notes.
Remarkable Health Reversals and Renewed Life
Today, Emily has shed over 7 stone and achieved extraordinary health improvements:
- No longer requires medication for type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, or high blood pressure
- Avoided weight loss surgery entirely
- Her endocrinologist estimates she has increased her lifespan by approximately 15 years
"Slimming World didn't just change my life, it saved it," Emily declares. "I'm now the active mum I always wanted to be, a role model for my children, and part of a community that continues to inspire me." Looking back at the transformative photograph, she adds, "It doesn't even look like me. Slimming World makes you see food differently and it changes your whole outlook."
