Pounding up the stairs, I crept into my room and closed my door quietly, checking for any sounds of my parents on the landing. Slowly zipping open my school bag and pulling out a multipack of crisps and two chocolate bars, I pulled up my mattress and stuffed them underneath, ready to gorge on later.
It was April 2008 and aged 15, that was my after-school routine spending my pocket money on treats from the local shop or supermarket then hiding them in my bedroom before eating everything I’d bought after dinner.
Mum had no idea about my nightly picnics, but she must have suspected something was up because I was already a size 16-18, and weighed around 17th. I was so overweight that my school uniform had to be specially made and Mum would sometimes ask what I’d eaten that day for lunch or suggest I join her for a walk. ‘No thanks,’ I’d smile, heading to my room, excited about eating my evening snacks.
I didn’t like being big, but eating was a way to comfort myself. At school, the girls would make fun of me behind my back, and the boys pretended they fancied me for a dare. ‘As if I’d want to go out with you,’ they’d laugh later as I’d try to hide my bright red cheeks, mortified.
STRUGGLING
Leaving school, I got a job as a nanny and because I’d always loved children and dreamt about one day being a mum myself, I enjoyed every minute of it. Only, it gave me more disposable income, and after work I’d order a huge pizza, garlic bread and a whole cheesecake for myself. By the time I reached my 21st birthday in February 2013, I had no idea how much I weighed or what size I was, but I was struggling to nd clothes that fitted me, even in plus-size shops.
Denne historien er fra May 11, 2021-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 11, 2021-utgaven av WOMAN'S OWN.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
ANITA NAIK A PROBLEM SHARED
Mum-of-two Anita Naik has been an agony aunt for 32 years
ON SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA
Add the wilds of Kruger National Park to your bucket list, says Amanda James
'LET'S RAISE SOME SERIOUS CASH!'
The Radio 2 DJ is among the hosts of Children In Need…
THREE WOMEN ONE DRESS
Gemma Stevens, 34, needed a wedding dress that had stood the test of time
HOW TO HAVE A SILENT NIGHT
Trouble nodding off? Waking in the early hours? Our experts can help
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on I'm a Celeb, work attire and young drivers
I THOUGHT HE'D COME TO KILL ME
For Sally Meeson, 45, the end of a relationship was the beginning of a nightmare
Loose Women IN CRISIS
With unhappy viewers and panel fall-outs, are the key characters about to be axed?
MAGNIFICENT MAURITIUS
Pe This istand in the ut 7% Indian Ocean feels Sa: like paradise, says Charlotte Richards
I HATE BEING A MUM
One woman, 55, reveals why she resents all of the sacrifices she made to be a mother