Jo Parkes, 32, only wanted to read to her little girls, but something huge was stopping her..
My weight problem had started when I went to secondary school in September 1996. It was just puppy fat at first, but embarrassed, I stopped eating around my friends.
By the time I got home I’d be starving. With both my parents at work I had free rein of the kitchen and, while my younger siblings Richard, Nicola and Jonny would have a couple of snacks, I’d binge on family sized slabs of chocolate, along with crisps and mini apple pies. Then I’d have a large helping of chilli for dinner.
Standing out
I put on about a stone a year and by the time I left school, aged 18, I weighed 19st. I hated that I couldn’t wear the same clothes as my friends and on nights out I’d feel horrendous. I looked so big next to them Finally I can read them a story and I never got chatted up by guys.
A couple of months later I started working in a local nursery close to my home in Harborough, Leicestershire. I loved my job, but being on my feet all day meant I worked up an appetite, too. So, when I got home I’d often get a takeaway – Chinese or pizza – or throw some chicken Kievs or fish fingers in the oven.
Finding love
At 5ft 3in and a size 24, my body struggled, but I felt helpless. Then, in April 2008, I was on Facebook when I came across a man named Guy and we started messaging. At 23, he was six years older and worked asa textiles manager in women’s fashion.
Bu hikaye WOMAN'S OWN dergisinin July 24,2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye WOMAN'S OWN dergisinin July 24,2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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