Amy Dugan was only ten years old when she lost both of her brothers in a house fire.
She struggled with her grief, and used food to cope.
“By the time I left university I weighed more than 250 pounds,” says Amy. “I wore size 28-30 trousers at my graduation and was so ashamed of how I looked in the official photo that I refused to let my grandparents have a copy.”
She decided that she’d had enough of not being able to do what she wanted to.
“I was fed up of being too scared to go out with my friends, sick of not being able to fit into cinema seats, making excuses not to go to theme parks for fear I’d get on a ride and they would ask me to get off again because of my weight.”
She tried losing weight a few times. However, nothing seemed to stick, and she always seemed to slip and start binging again.
But in July of 2014, she was inspired by her colleague, who lost 85 pounds with Slimming World. She decided to join, too. There, she found a good community.
“I received such a warm welcome and was delighted to find that I could lose weight while still enjoying my favorite meals, such as curry or spaghetti Bolognese, just by making a few small changes to the way I prepared and cooked them.
“As someone who struggled with comfort eating and feeling guilty about it, it was a revalation for me to be able to share experiences with other people who understood what I was going through.”
She says that now, with support, she has the tools to make good food choices.
She’s currently at 162 pounds, almost 100 pounds down from where she was at her heaviest.
“I know I’ll keep the weight off for good and I’ve no doubt that getting the support to stop being so self-critical and to learn to be kinder to myself has played a big part in my success.”
