Photographs are supposed to remind us of happy times.
But when Natalie Taylor saw a picture of herself on her annual New Year’s Day walk last year she could only think about the weight she needed to lose.
With the pounds piling on over the years, she was wearing size 24 clothes by January 2021 and weighed more than 19 stone.
‘I really needed to lose weight’
“I really didn’t think it bothered me,” Natalie said.
“When I started having my kids I always thought because I had children I could be bigger.”
But seeing herself in that photograph on Fraserburgh Beach made her realise she needed to embark on a big weight loss journey.
And she was surprised to find out just how dedicated she was to making the big change.
“Something just clicked,” she says. “I just looked at the photo and thought about turning 40 this year and I really needed to do it.”
Natalie, of Mintlaw, signed up with her local Slimming World group in Strichen at the start of February last year.
And since then she has lost an amazing seven stones.
Every Tuesday she now looks forward to stepping on the scales and attending her weight loss classes.
‘My diet was horrendous’
To lose weight, Natalie needed to completely change her diet.
That meant no more butteries for breakfast and replacing high-carb lunches and dinners with healthier choices.
She now eats Weetabix with a banana for breakfast and either spaghetti bolognese, soup or scrambled eggs for lunch.
For dinner, Natalie and her family enjoy cooking dishes such as chicken pasta or salmon with rice and lots of vegetables on the plate.
She’s even found a love for spinach and pops it into most of her meals.
“My diet was horrendous. I just used to eat for the sake of eating,” she said. “I would buy a pack of sweeties and eat them all in one go.
“We’d have a takeaway every week.
“Now we just have a takeaway every time I lose half a stone.”
‘I was in hardly any photos’
Now the mum-of-two is a dress size 16, her weight has dropped to 12 stone 8 pounds and she feels great.
She’s looking forward to going on a holiday to Turkey later in the year and will be taking lots of family photographs.
“We’ve been on amazing holidays, we’ve been to Florida and New York and there’s not many photos of me with my children,” she said.
“And I think how sad is that – it’s like I wasn’t even on these holidays.
“My husband would take a photo then it would be deleted because I just looked so awful.
“But this year I’ve taken so many photos of me with my boys and they’re so good to look at.”
How losing weight has changed her life
Natalie now has more energy to spend time with her children Jordan, 10, and eight-year-old Frankie.
Before losing the weight she says she would struggle to walk far without catching her breath.
Now she’s bounding along her local beach with her dog and has even climbed a Munro – with plans to conquer another four of these challenging mountains this year.
“My biggest achievement is climbing Lochnagar,” she said. “We walked 15 miles that day in September – I was so emotional that I managed to do it.
“And I’ve gone for dips in the sea. I would never have had the confidence to do that before.
“It’s made a massive change to my life.”
Exercise has helped with the weight loss
Natalie also now works out with a personal trainer on a Monday night doing resistance training with weights.
And because she’s so careful with her diet, she still manages to enjoy her favourite chocolate bar.
“I have a Ripple every day – that’s my treat.”
She added: “I’ve hardly bought any new clothes because I’ve been stuck big for so long and you still think of yourself as being big. It’s weird.
“I’ve still got about another stone to go.
“My 40th birthday is in December and I’m hoping to have reached my target and not being so much in the dieting headspace.
“I feel so much happier.”
We’d like to share your story
Every Friday lunchtime we highlight an incredible story about recovery, overcoming illness and bravery.
Have you overcome a health challenge, lost weight or got fit and are now in a position to help others by talking about your journey?
We’d love to hear from you as we look to offer information, insight and inspiration through our content.
You can get in touch by emailing me at charlotte.thomson@ajl.co.uk
