A mum who was told to get off a theme park ride because the barrier wouldn't close has lost 11 stone. Amy Camp tipped the scales at 21st 8lbs, and says the incident at on the ride pushed her to do something about her weight.
Wearing a clothes size 32, Amy gorged on pizzas, ready meals and sausage rolls. But the weight really started to creep up when her father died four years ago and she turned to food for comfort.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, she said: "I've always been big as a kid, I've always struggled with my weight. But it accelerated when I lost my dad in 2018.
"I could eat packets of biscuits and crisps, full tubs of Ben and Jerry's, all processed foods - pizzas, sausage rolls, ready meals. If I was cooking anything I would use fat instead of fry light like I use now.
"When I was getting measured for my bridesmaid dress for my friend's wedding the dress was a size 32. I was like 'there's no way I'm a size 32' but obviously I was. She'd done all the measurements. You don't realise how big you are at the time."
Amy said: "When I went to a theme park, Gulliver's, I got told to get off one of the rides because the barrier wouldn't go down on me. My heart just sank seeing [my daughter's] face.
"I would say the wake up call started from then and then I think something just twigged. A friend of mine was saying 'why don't you join Slimming World? Come with me.' I was saying no, no and then I bit the bullet and said I'll go.
"It was my mum who said to me - not being nasty to me but looking out for me - 'look you need to try to do something about it.' She could see me going on a downward spiral going bigger and bigger. I think it was my mum that was the final push."
Amy decided to join her local Slimming World group at Sutton Cricket Club in St Helens in January 2019 and hasn't looked back since. She has slimmed down from 21st 8lbs to 9st 12.5lbs and has dropped 12 dress sizes to a size 8, with the help of her Slimming World consultant Lindsey Leyland.
The 33-year-old also recently reached the semi-final of Slimming World’s Woman of the Year 2022 competition after receiving votes from other members across the country. Amy said: "I owe everything to Lindsey, if it wasn't for her sticking by me every single day and helping me...the group is fantastic. Everyone is so supportive, nobody judges you, everyone is friendly.
"I have got my life back because I can do things now I couldn't do before. I took my daughter back to the theme park last year.
"You always have that niggling feeling that you're not going to fit on it because I got pushed back that time, but it was amazing. It meant the world to be able to go on it with her and have those memories with her. I was made up and she was as well."
Amy said looking back at old photos helps to motivate her when she's having a bad day. She added: "When I joined Slimming World I was 21 stone 8lbs and I could have been bigger than that before I joined Slimming World.
"I never want to go back to being like that. I think that keeps me going - looking back at my pictures and knowing what I can do with my daughter - that keeps me going."
Amy's typical diet before she joined Slimming World
Breakfast: Bowl of coco pops with lots of milk or a full English cooked in oil
Lunch: Shop bought sandwich or sausage rolls
Dinner: Pizza or eggs and chips
Amy's typical diet now
Breakfast: Asparagus with bacon medallions, two poached eggs and tomato
Lunch: Ham salad
Dinner: Swede top pie with stewed steak and vegetables or steak and chips with vegetables
