Mum's life-changing act after years of people shouting 'fat' at her in street
After battling with a lifelong sugar addiction that she says was destroying her, Natasha Harvey has undergone a remarkable transformation, losing an extraordinary amount of weight.
Just three years ago, the 51-year-old "hit rock bottom" after tipping the scales at 24 stone 10 pounds. The mum-of-one said: "I was lying in bed, asking myself: Why am I here?
"Every thought I had was negative. I went to the doctor and I was told my health had deteriorated. My addiction to sugar was destroying me."
READ MORE: Fake reviews crackdown welcomed by Hyndburn councillor
READ MORE: 'I'm an NHS doctor – there's two common cancer symptoms you shouldn't ignore'
Natasha, from Golborne, used to eat twelve bars of chocolate in one sitting and would regularly consume an entire Costco fudge cake on her own. "It wasn't takeaways or anything like that," she told the ECHO.
"It was pure sugar addiction. When I felt down sugar would make me feel happy. I'd come in from work, have a big tea, then when night fell I'd come down and have a big slab of cake. I was addicted."
People were cruel about her weight all the time, and often made unpleasant remarks to her in the street. "They'd shout at me in the street and call me fat," said Natasha. "It used to kill me when they said it. I'd come home and comfort eat."
In 2022, Natasha joined Slimming World and within a few months, the weight began to drop off her. She told us: "It took me five months to learn how to eat properly. It opened up a new world for me. They told me to record everything I ate in a food diary. I could eat anything I wanted, but only in small portions."
"I became part of a community. I learned to open up about my feelings. I made amazing friends, and the support was outstanding. The food optimising became second nature, and the pounds started to drop off."
Natasha has lost an astonishing 10 stone and 10 pounds since starting the programme, and is over the moon about the results. She told the ECHO: "I can't tell you the difference it's made. There's no sniggering now - people say, god you look fantastic. I feel better in my clothes and my lifestyle's completely different. It's much easier to get around - I can run now."
The weight loss has changed Natasha's life in many ways. Before, she didn't feel confident going to the theatre or cinema because she was worried she wouldn't be able to fit in the seats, but now, she goes out all the time. Last year, she went abroad for the first time, travelling with her friend to Cyprus by plane. "For the first time in my life I wore a swimming costume", she said. "I feel confident in myself now."
Natasha says she had "always been big", and started putting on weight when she was around five years old. She was taken out of school by her parents at a young age and told to cook for the family. She believes this triggered an unhealthy relationship with food.
Trauma counselling helped her overcome these issues, and she says going to Slimming World gave her the mental fortitude needed to overcome her sugar addiction.
"The first two weeks of coming off the sugar were hell," she said. I had sweats and everything - the withdrawal symptoms were terrible. But Slimming World helped. Everyone there is in the same boat. When you're an alcoholic, you go to AA. But when you're obese, nobody recognises it as a condition. But that's exactly what it is. I was addicted."
Natasha continues going to Slimming World every week to continue her weight loss journey. "That's the key for me," she said. "I never miss a class."