Woman told she’s too overweight to have kids loses 10 stone

A woman embarked on a weight-loss journey after learning from doctors she would need to lose 12 stone to improve her chances of becoming pregnant.

Beth McGregor has since lost 10 stone and hopes to one day start a family with her husband.

The 38-year-old, from Cwmbwrla, Swansea, joined Slimming World in September 2021, when she weighed 23 stone.

She had previously attempted to reduce her weight, but claims the amount doctors had told her to lose was too daunting.

She had always wanted, however, to have kids in the future with her 48-year-old husband James, who she been with since she was 18-years-old.

Beth told Wales Online: “It was so much weight that I had to lose, it just felt like there was a mental block because 12 stone is more than another person.

With dreams of being a mother one day, Beth started to take her weight loss journey one meal at a time and started seeing results.

Before joining Slimming World, Beth said exercise was “non-existent” in her life.

When her dog needed a walk, Beth would drive to the beach and throw a ball around for her dog to avoid having to walk around.

Last year when Beth went to see the beautiful sunflowers at Rhossili, Wales, in the summer, she said she was too unfit to walk from the carpark to the fields of flowers and had to abandon the trip.

She said: “I remember getting on a flight to America and I couldn’t get the lap tray down and had to ask the stewardess for a seatbelt extender. I just stood in the toilet crying.”

It was a difficult time for Beth as her confidence was low and she was hiding her eating habits from her husband.

“On my way home from work, I’d buy packets of crisps and chocolate from the shop, eat them in my car and hide the packets. I was obsessed with food,” she added.

Beth, who works as a local area co-ordinator for the council, said her typical day of eating before she joined Slimming World involved up to four takeaways a week and lots of quick meals on the go.

Here is a typical day of eating before Beth began her weight loss journey:

Breakfast

A sausage or bacon bap from a cafe while Beth was on-the-go with work meetings.

Lunch

A battered sausage, chips and a bread roll from the chip shop.

Dinner

Lasagne with garlic bread or a takeaway which could include kebab meat and chips or beef and black bean sauce with chips and rice from her local Chinese takeaway.

Beth said she would get bored of takeaways because her and her husband would eat so many each week.

Snacks

Crisps and chocolate

Now a typical day of eating for Beth looks like:

Breakfast

Oat pancakes, breakfast, berries and yoghurt.

Lunch

Salmon stir fry with Thai curry sauce.

Dinner

Hunter’s chicken with chips and salad.

Now weighing 13 stone, Beth said she snacks a lot less, focuses on filling, healthy meals and drinks lots of squash throughout the day.

But she has not given up on her comfort food and still eats roast dinners, pasta bakes and big breakfasts which might not be associated with “dieting”.

Beth sees it as a lifestyle rather than a diet, she added.

Since September 2021, Beth has lost ten stone and still regularly attends Slimming World meetings.

Although she was initially worried about being judged for her weight, Beth said the group has always been welcoming and supporting and they are like a family.

As well as enjoying a boost to her confidence, Beth said her health and fitness has improved dramatically and she walks the dog every day as well as going on weekly long walks with her sister.

Now, Beth hardly uses her inhaler for her asthma and does not suffer with IBS or heartburn like she did before losing the weight.

Beth recently took part in the Macmillan Mighty Hike and walked 13 miles for charity.

The hike ended in Rhossili and was a full circle moment for Beth, considering just 12 months earlier she could not manage the walk from the car park.

“I was exhausted but exhilarated, I couldn’t believe I’d done it,” she said.