I DIDN'T WANT TO be a fat nanna

Her grandchildren gave Gail Cuffe, 54, motivation to undergo a transformation

OCTOBER 2018

Bigger than ever 

With the girls grown up, in April 2015, I decided to open my own beauty salon. I worked long hours, and skipped breakfast and lunch, drinking around five cans of fizzy pop throughout the day to keep me going. By the evening, I'd be starving, so I'd meet Mark, who works for a gas supplier, and we'd go out for a meal most nights. If we fancied a night in, we'd order a takeaway instead. But being surrounded by so many beautiful people at the salon made me question my own appearance. Everyone else was so slim. Although my personality was big and bubbly, so was my belly. Braving the scales, I was in for a shock... 16st 7lb.

DECEMBER 2019

Health scare

Too embarrassed to face up to the truth, I hid behind frumpy size 24 clothes. But in December 2019, I felt a strange fluttering sensation in my chest. After spending a whole night tossing and turning in bed, suffering from heart palpitations, I went to A&E. 'Your blood pressure is sky high,' the doctor told me. Explaining I was morbidly obese, she said I was at risk of suffering from a stroke, heart attack or diabetes if I didn't lose weight. Immediately, I cut out fizzy drinks and ditched the takeaways, but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, in March 2020, I was forced to close the salon for good. Stuck at home, it made it so much harder to stay on track with the weight loss. 

JULY 2021

Wibble wobble