A woman lost an incredible 11 stone after being too humiliated to ask for a seatbelt extender on a flight, revealing that since shedding the weight she is now treated like a ‘normal person’.
Sarah Speight, who tipped the scales at 25lb and 1lb wearing a size 28, indulged in a diet heavy on fast food favorites such as pizza, chocolate cake and McDonald’s while avoiding exercise.
Sarah’s turning point came when she felt too embarrassed to ask for a seatbelt extender on the plane instead of pretending her seatbelt was firmly fastened.
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After trying ‘every diet’ without success, Sarah opted to have a gastric band fitted, giving £11k to bypass NHS waiting times.
Now weighing a slim 13 8lbs and fitting a size 14, Sarah, from Stalybridge, says she feels ‘amazing’ but has also noticed a drastic change in the way others perceive her. The 35-year-old fraud investigator said: “I felt like people were going to walk past me and say ‘look at her size.’ It gets into your head.
“People just stared at you and didn’t say hi or anything. It was like I was in some kind of freak show. People tend to smile at you more now. They say hi, I feel like you’re being treated like a normal person.
“I find people interact with me a lot more. They will talk to you and smile at you while no one batted an eye before.
“The more people notice, it makes you feel so good about yourself. And it’s something I’m not used to because I’ve never had anything like this.”
Sarah admitted she had struggled with her weight all her life and “always knew” she was “bulky”, but her weight escalated as she hit her 20s.
Despite numerous attempts at dieting over the years, nothing seemed to work for her.
She admitted: “Vegetables weren’t my thing, they were always rubbish and I just couldn’t stop. It was a huge addiction that I had. In most cases, I could probably eat a whole pizza in one sitting and still not be full.
“I was never into the gym, the thought of exercise terrified me. I hated the thought of going out or shopping – I preferred to be alone.
“I had to look at online stores that offered larger sizes and I didn’t have much choice in what to wear. I had to choose what works for me, not what I like. I didn’t really have a life to be honest, I hated going out, I avoided any social situations.”
“I lost a lot of friends through this because I never had time to engage with anyone. I was literally just sitting alone in my room at home, avoiding contact with anyone.”
Sarah decided to change her lifestyle in January 2023 while on vacation in Iceland.
She recalls: “I was going to Iceland and I had to sit by the window because I was so embarrassed to ask for a seatbelt extender. I had to pretend my seat belt looked like it was on when it wasn’t.
“I had to hold it over me and pretend it was buttoned when the flight attendant walked by. It was absolutely horrible because I thought – I’m the only one who was squished in my seat. I couldn’t move my legs. I was spilling in the seat of the person next to me and I just remember thinking this is so embarrassing I can’t do this anymore.”
Sarah was also told she needed to take pills for her blood pressure at the age of 34 and decided to seek surgery.
“I saved up for surgery,” she said. “I paid half with my own money and then financed the rest with the hospital. So I paid them back every month.
“I could probably get it on the NHS but the waiting list in my area was at least five years. You have to lose weight beforehand, which I couldn’t do, and you also have to attend meetings every week with work, which I couldn’t commit to.”
She underwent gastric band surgery in February 2023 at Alexandra Hospital, Stockport, and lost 11 7lbs in a year. She changed her diet to a balanced one and goes to the gym twice a day.
Sarah is now 13st 8lbs and a size 14 and feels “amazing” and “much more confident”.
“It completely changed my life,” she said.
“Now I have new friends and a new love for the gym that I never thought I would say. My confidence is already up. Everything is just amazing.
“This is the best money I’ve ever spent. And I would still really recommend them. If anyone is in the same situation as me, it’s 100% the best thing I’ve ever done and I don’t regret a thing.”
Diet before – Breakfast – Bacon sandwiches, bread Lunch – Pizza, ice cream cake Dinner – McDonald’s, chocolate cake, chips Snacks – Chips, crackers, cheese, chocolate drink – Full fat coke, lemonade.
Diet after – Breakfast – Cheerios, Weetabix or blueberry porridge Lunch – Small tuna sandwich Dinner – Chicken and vegetables Snacks – Low fat yogurt, one slice of cheese Drinks – Protein shake, water.
Motor mode – Three hours of exercise every day. Morning, one hour of “freestyle”: stair training, rowing machine, treadmill and cross trainer Evening, two hours of classes.