Former Aldi worker whose weight ballooned watching Love Island looks amazing now

A mum-of-two who regularly gorged on multipacks of crisps has revealed how she managed to shed an incredible six stone.

Tracey Mackey, from the Moorside area of Oldham, weighed 18 stone when she decided to slim down so she could play with her children.

The 55-year-old had struggled with her size for years and felt embarrassed having her photo taken on holidays.

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A self-confessed chocoholic, the Aldi worker would regularly eat family-sized chocolate bars by herself while watching Love Island.

But she decided to turn her life around when she realised she couldn’t run around with her young children, prompting her to sign up to Slimming World.

By following a food plan alone, Tracey went on to lose an incredible six stone – now tipping the scales at 12 stone.

Incredibly, her transformation saw the mum go from a dress size 24 to a dress size 14.

Her weight loss success meant the mum went on to become a consultant and has recently been promoted to team developer, running her own group while supporting other consultants.

Tracey says her weight loss journey has completely changed her life. “I was very unhappy,” she told the Manchester Evening News.

“I wasn’t comfortable in clothes and it was hard to go to normal shops. Buying clothes off the peg was very hard. Every shop you went in, you’d be a different size.

“I’ve had knee surgery; I’ve got osteoarthritis all over. Losing weight has totally and utterly helped my joints.

“It’s going to clothes shops, knowing I can go into Tesco, Asda and Matalan and buy normal sizes and fit into them.”

Despite her incredible transformation, Tracey says she still struggles with her body image. “It’s really weird because being overweight has so many effects on your mental health. It has effects on how you feel about yourself. You ask yourself if you’re good enough or if you’re enough.

“Your family see you differently, but you’ve always got that in your mind – am I overweight? Do I look horrible? You see something different in the mirror.

“When you’ve been overweight, it’s harder to accept because you will always see that fat person. Other people look at you and say ‘Oh my God, you look amazing,’ but I don’t see that.”

Tracey has since revealed two major reasons behind her weight loss success – cutting out drinking and weighing everything out.

“I weigh everything,” she said. “I don’t guesstimate. I weigh out everything from milk to cheese and other healthy extras.”

Tracey, who runs her group at the New Moston Club every Saturday morning from 8am to 10am, says her mum was the one who inspired her to become a team developer.

“Your mum is your best friend,” she added. “You only ever have one and I miss her to this day. I lost her in 2022.

“The one thing she always said was that if you’ve got a dream, don’t just dream it, act on it.

“This had been going around my head since I lost my mum and I became a team developer because of the words she said to me.”