A mum-of-one halved her body weight by shedding a whopping 9st after being told she may not wake up from emergency surgery due to the extra pounds.
Hannah Straughan, 25, weighed 19st 5lb with a dress size of 24 when she was rushed to hospital in May last year with swelled up tonsils – leaving her struggling to breathe.
Scared Hannah was told by doctors her weight made her high-risk when undergoing a tonsil operation – which may not be successful and she may not wake up from.
The single mum went ahead and survived the operation but vowed to take action over her weight for the sake of her five-year-old daughter Brooke.
Determined Hannah, of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear., joined a Slimming World group and set about shifting the pounds.
Now more than a year on 5ft 3in Hannah looks an entirely different person – dropping seven dress sizes to a healthy size 8 to 10 and weighing 9st 9lb.
She said: “I knew deep down it was a problem but I didn’t want to admit it.
“When I was told I was high-risk it broke my heart – it was a real wake-up call.
“I was very unhappy – I was always being asked to go out with friends but always felt uncomfortable and would cover myself up with a coat.
“I never enjoyed myself and always felt people were laughing at me if I was dancing.”
Hannah, who works at a bank, would gorge on pizza and kebabs brought home each night by her ex-partner – who was a takeaway delivery driver.
This came after a daily fried breakfast and a lunch at McDonalds or Subway.
Her weight was such an issue that she was too out of breath to walk to ASDA – which was just a minute away on-foot – and she would get her former partner to driver her there.
But she now adheres to a strict diet plan arranged by her Slimming World group.
It consists of bran with yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, couscous and vegetables or chicken salad for lunch and home-made lasagne or curry for dinner.
After work she spends two hours in the gym every night and takes long walks and swims with daughter Brooke.
She said: “Once I recovered and joined the group I was told if I stuck to the plan I could change my life – but I didn’t believe anything of it.
“Before I lost the weight I was unemployed but losing it gave me the confidence to get out there and I found a job straight away.
“Now I’m out all the time with friends and have lovely clothes to wear.
“I really feel like a completely different person – looking back at the old pictures doesn’t even feel like me.
“When I was overweight I was too embarrassed to take part in any exercises but now there’s no stopping me.
“It’s great because I do everything with Brooke I always wanted to do but couldn’t.”
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