A woman who has lost more than 12st says she has been astonished by the change in the way people treat her, claiming her weight loss has unlocked a form of “pretty privilege”.
Christy, 28, from Bournemouth, weighed 28st 8lb at her heaviest and wore a size 26. While working night shifts, she would order large takeaways, snack on sweets, chocolate and crisps, then eat a kebab with chips.
Her meals could include leftover pizza or Chinese food for breakfast, while a cooked breakfast often came with what she described as “double everything”.
Her weight affected almost every part of her daily life. She avoided stairs, dreaded long walks and would even accept a lift for the ten-minute trip to the bus stop.
Visits to theme parks could also be difficult, with Christy recalling having to leave rides when the safety bar would not fasten. When flying, she had to ask for a seatbelt extension.
After doctors warned that she might not live to see 40, Christy decided to make major changes to her lifestyle. She lost around 10st naturally before turning to weight-loss injections when her progress eventually stalled.
Christy, 28, has lost more than 12st and says she has been shocked by the way people treat her since her weight loss
Before losing weight, she often ate large takeaways during night shifts, snacking on sweets, chocolate and crisps before having a kebab, chips and a drink
Christy now weighs around 15st 13lb and wears a size 16/18. But she says one of the biggest surprises has been the difference in how strangers respond to her.
“People in public generally treat me a lot differently to how they would have before,” she said.
“I feel I have more respect in public from people – just random people, pedestrians, whoever. People are more respectful, nicer and kinder to me now that I’m smaller.
“I’ve really noticed it – it’s a bit of a pretty privilege sort of thing.”
She has noticed a similar shift in her dating life. Christy now goes on more dates and says men who knew her before her transformation have suddenly started showing an interest.
“When I was 28st, I don’t think the same people would have approached me,” she said.
“When I see people I used to know, they say, ‘Oh my God, you look so different now.’ And then they all try to get with me. I’m like, ‘What the hell?’”
Christy has struggled with her weight since childhood. She attended Weight Watchers classes for children at the age of nine and later tried Slimming World, keto, soup diets and even a grapefruit diet.
Christy says she would eat leftover pizza or Chinese food for breakfast, while a cooked breakfast came with “double everything”
Her weight once affected almost every aspect of her life, from avoiding stairs and long walks to accepting a lift for the ten-minute journey to the bus stop
After doctors warned that she might not live to see 40, Christy overhauled her lifestyle, losing around 10st naturally before turning to weight-loss injections
She now weighs around 15st 13lb, wears a size 16/18 and says she has a much more balanced lifestyle
She said: ‘At my heaviest, I was eating for comfort because I was bored. I didn’t really care about what I was eating because I didn’t really care about myself.’
Christy also lives with PCOS and was recently diagnosed with ADHD, which she says has helped her understand her previous relationship with food.
The turning point came when doctors found fat on her liver and warned her that, if she continued as she was, she might not reach her 40th birthday.
She was referred for gastric sleeve surgery but eventually decided to try losing the weight herself, adding: ‘I just thought, “I need to try one more time, properly, myself”.’
Christy initially lost around two stone on keto before moving towards healthier, less restrictive eating.
She began walking further, cooking healthier ‘fakeaways’ with her family and later moved to Toronto, Canada, where walking became part of her everyday routine.
Eventually, she lost around a considerable amount of weight naturally. When her progress stalled, she started using weight-loss injections, despite criticism from some followers.
She explained: ‘But I lost 10st on my own and it just got really stagnant. I needed something to boost it.’
Christy says the difference has been stark when it comes to dating. She says even men who knew and rejected her before her weight loss have suddenly shown an interest now
Christy says she no longer wants to wait for a ‘perfect’ body before enjoying herself – this summer in Turkey, she wore a bikini for the first time
Despite losing more than 12st, Christy says her mind has not completely caught up with her body.
She explained: ‘I still pick up clothes that are size 24 off the shelf and take them home and think they’re going to fit me. They don’t. I still see myself as my old size.’
She has also been left with loose skin and says her chest has changed from around an E cup to a 38C. She is considering surgery once she has finished losing weight.
However, Christy says she no longer wants to wait for a ‘perfect’ body before enjoying herself – this summer in Turkey, she wore a bikini for the first time.
‘I would never have done that before,’ she said. ‘Now I’m wearing short shorts, little co-ords, going to festivals and wearing all cute outfits. I love it.’
Now, Christy walks wherever possible, enjoys swimming and focuses on balanced meals while still allowing herself the foods she loves.
‘I still like KFC,’ she said. ‘I haven’t restricted myself.’
Having documented her transformation online since around 2021, Christy says she is proud of the life changes she has made, adding: ‘I really had to change my whole life around. I’m proud of myself for doing that.’
