ABOUT TO BURST

Stacey Dickens, 32, from Winsford, pushed her body to the extremes trying to lose weight...

Ignoring the rumbling in my stomach, I increased the speed of the treadmill.

I felt determined to lose weight, and hunger pains

were not about to stop me. I had tried weight classes,

swimming, and almost every diet out there.

Nothing was working. The fat on my arms and legs

were only getting bigger, and it was so sore.

But every time I went to the doctors, I was told to improve my diet and exercise.

Leaving the gym, I called my mum, Leslie, 62.

‘Nothing’s working,’ I complained. ‘I’ve been spending hours in the gym and have seen no change.’

‘Keep going to the doctors, love,’ she replied. ‘I’m sure they’ll figure out what’s wrong.’

I got home and began to prepare my dinner – my only meal of the day.

Dishing up a small portion of veg, I sighed – I was so hungry, but this was my diet. How am I still putting on

weight? I thought. What must other people eat?

I was convinced that everyone else ate even less than I did!

I had always weighed about nine stone, but had since put on almost seven stone – and there was nothing I could do about it.

In April 2018, I met my boyfriend Jordan, 29, who couldn’t believe how little I ate.

‘You don’t eat, Stacey,’ he said. ‘You’re starving yourself.’

Until I met Jordan, I was living on my own and it was hard convincing anyone how little I was eating, when no-one saw me behind closed doors.