Mother’s concern over school bullies motivated weight loss

A MOTHER who dropped three dress sizes to prevent her daughter becoming the victim of bullying has set up a new Slimming World class in Inverness.

Helen Street was given the push she needed to lose weight after her daughter confided in her that one of her friends was being bullied because of her mother’s size.

"I said to myself that day that I wasn’t going to put my kids in that position," she said.

"Kids have it hard enough without having issues because their mums are overweight. For me, I wanted to be a good role model to my kids because obesity in Scotland is a major problem and I needed to set the standard for my kids to follow."

Mrs Street (39) signed up to one of its classes in February and has lost nearly three stone since, going from a dress size 20 to a 14.

Now she has become the diet group’s consultant, helping others lose weight at a new class, which meets at Inverness Ice Centre on Mondays.

At her heaviest, Mrs Street, a mother-of-two who lives in Dewar Square, Dingwall, was 16 stone.

She tried every class and diet going but only Slimming World worked for her.

"I was going to bed at 9pm every night because I had used my allowance for the day," she said.

"I was just hungry all the time. That is the big plus with Slimming World. You can change your ways of eating without feeling restricted. There are so many foods you can eat without any weighing or measuring. I even managed to do a complete Christmas menu on the Slimming World plan."

She admits snacking on the "wrong foods" was her downfall.

"It was things like takeaways, which are just too easy," she said. "When you buy a takeaway, you can’t control what oils or ingredients they are using. It was also lack of exercise — just a very sedentary lifestyle, with totally the wrong diet."

She is not a "gym fanatic" so started walking more each day, getting off the bus a stop early and using stairs instead of a lift or escalator.

"Some people will want to go to the gym, or start jogging, it is each to their own," she continued. "Just little steps helped me."

Mrs Street, who runs Helian Photography with husband Ian, hopes to lose more weight. And she encourages anyone serious about losing weight to give it a go.

"You cannot beat the support a class gives you, not just from me as a consultant but the other members," she continued. "If you have a bad week, everybody in the class makes sure you go out of the door at the end of the night feeling positive."

The new class started on Monday in Inverness Ice Centre and runs from 7pm.

For further information about the class, contact Mrs Street on 07746931610.

Another Slimming World class runs in Inverness on Tuesdays at the Crown Court Hotel, Southside Road, from 6pm.

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