What really happened when I LOST 8ST

Having been overweight for years, Linda Aitchison finally learnt to rise above society's stigmas and expectations

- LOUISE BATY

I’ve been that woman – the overweight one who feels invisible, the one that society seems to overlook because of her size. But I’ve also been on the other side – part of the ‘thin elite’ who gets noticed, admired and complimented for her petiteness. And let me tell you from painful experience, weight bias, otherwise known as ‘skinny privilege’ most definitely exists, and the toll it took on me mentally, both overweight and thin, was draining.

Raised by a mum who was prone to yo-yo dieting, by my 20s I’d also developed an unhealthy relationship with food, using it as an emotional crutch, bingeing on takeaways along with chocolate bars, crisps and pints of beer too.

Aged 28, and working in a stressful job I hated, I weighed 13st 7lb at 5ft 4in. A size 18-20, it was clear to me that my size negatively impacted the way people perceived and treated me.

For instance, there were some women at work who’d exclude me from chats about fashion and make-up, presuming that I wasn’t interested – after all, why would a big girl like me care about how I looked? I did, of course, and while I’m sure they didn’t intend to hurt me, they did.

Then there were the men who looked straight through me like I didn’t exist. Although that was preferable to those who showed outright contempt – like the man on holiday in Ibiza who blew me a kiss before looking me up and down with disgust when I smiled back.

Thankfully, when I met my husband Neil, in 1996, he was my biggest fan, regardless of my size. In late 1997, suffering with poor mental health, I decided to do something for myself and lost 4st through dieting and exercise but, after having our twins, Emily and Melissa, in October 1998, life was so busy, I gradually regained the weight.