I Swapped Lbs For £££s

I lost 81 pounds and gained £600 by selling fat clothes on Facebook.

- Hannah Abbott/Aniesa Mirreh

Louise Bell, 34,

Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset

As I accidentally caught my reflection in the full-length mirror, I winced.

I was wearing baggy jeans and a size-24 T-shirt, but rolls of fat were still bulging out.

I’d always been on the large side, but over the years my eating had got out of control.

Thing is, I had no motivation to do anything about it.

I had a loving, long-term relationship with Paul, 44, who loved me as I was.

I loved sitting on the sofa with him, tucking into huge portions of pasta smothered in cheese, or a big, creamy curry with naans and onion bhajis. 

In between meals, I’d eat bread and butter and chocolate.

At weekends, I’d polish off two bottles of wine on a night out. Sometimes followed by Jagerbombs and maybe a kebab on the way home!

I’d tried lots of diets and once lost 2st, but put the whole lot back on, and then some. 

The thought of starting from scratch was too daunting.

But, in January 2015, I woke up one morning and something in my head just clicked.

‘I’m sick of being fat! I’m going to lose weight,’ I said.

‘You’re beautiful as you are, but I’ll support you if that’s what you want,’ Paul replied.

Moment of truth

A couple of days later, I walked into a Slimming World group.

After the introductory chat, it was time to get on the scales for the moment of truth.