‘I got out of breath going to the loo

A woman who “used to get out of breath going to the loo” has lost 7.5st by changing two things. Siân Russell, 30, realized enough was enough when she saw pictures of herself at a family gathering.

Tipping the scales at 16st and struggling to squeeze into a size 18, she says she felt depressed and anxious and had low self-esteem. In January 2020, she decided to “put herself first” and overhaul her lifestyle for a “new year, new me.”

However, tragically two years into her journey in December 2022 she lost her partner to suicide – and says she was unable to leave the house for months. But Siân realized her partner would have wanted her to live her best life so she started going to the gym and focusing on healthy eating habits.

In September 2023 she suffered a setback after breaking her leg in three places while on holiday and requiring a wheelchair for months – but returned to work out as soon as she could. Now Siân says she goes to the gym four to five times a week, walks up to seven miles a day, and has lost seven-and-a-half stone. She weighs just 8st 7lbs and can slip into a slender size eight to 10 with ease.

Siân, a business developer, from Coalville, Leicestershire, said: “I used to sweat and get out of breath – even just getting up and going to the toilet. It impacted my mental health so much I wouldn’t even look at myself – I suffered really badly with depression and anxiety and knew I had to do something about it.

“I would see pictures of me taken at family events I couldn’t believe it when I was looking at the pictures. Now I’m just happier, I’ve got more energy – it sounds daft but people look at you differently.

“My confidence is so different, before I couldn’t make eye contact with people but now I want to be seen because I have done so well. When I look back I can’t really remember being that person before – I just know I was very unhappy and even the simplest of tasks was really hard.”

Before losing weight, Siân would regularly snack on donuts and cheese, as well as drinking alcohol regularly and not doing exercise. When she decided to make a change, she started following the mantra “eat less, move more” and began swimming and walking to increase her activity levels.

Over two years she lost three stone – but in December 2022 her partner tragically died. Siân says she was severely depressed in the months following and struggled to leave the house.

But realized she had to keep alive for him and made the decision to go back to the gym. Over the next year she lost another two stone, taking her down to 11 stone in total, before breaking her leg while on holiday in Menorca.

But despite being in a wheelchair for two months, she started working out again as soon as her leg was in a boot cast. And now Siân has shed nearly half her starting body weight.

Siân said: “I used to get out of breath going to the toilet and found myself having to rock to get off the sofa. No matter how bad things get, if you change your lifestyle things will start coming into place.

“I feel like I’ve found my style again, I have more energy, I sleep better and my skin is better. “I could have cracked and not done anything about it but I just realized life is too short and you’ve got to go with what you’ve got.”

Before losing weight, Siân would snack on donuts and cheese from the shop under her flat. She says she would binge eat, drink a lot of alcohol and not do any exercise.

Now, she avoids dairy and eats “clean” – snacking on celery and packets of baked crisps. She goes to the gym up to five times a week and walks up to seven miles per day – but says she still occasionally indulges in a donut.

“My partner would be proud to see me now – I’m a completely different person. He would be really happy to see it,” said Siân.

Siân’s diet before

Breakfast – sausage roll

Lunch – pasta and a ready meal

Dinner – takeaway pizza or Chinese

Snack – cheese or crisps

Drinks – drinking heavily five times per week

Siân’s diet now

Breakfast – porridge or low-calorie bagel

Lunch – tuna or chicken salad

Dinner – steak or chicken

Snack – low-calorie egg bagel

Drinks – water