Weight loss – I was too fat to have kids but I shed 7st and now have three babies – The Sun
HOLLY Snoxell reckons losing weight did not just boost her fragile body confidence – it changed her life completely.
The 35-year-old had been told she was too overweight for the IVF treatment she wanted, leaving her fearing she would never have kids.
But after shedding nearly seven stone on the Slimming World plan, Holly saw another dream come true by becoming a mother… three times over.
The full-time mum says: "I was devastated when we found out we needed IVF but my weight meant we were not eligible.
"My weight had held me back my whole life but I wasn't about to let it stop me having children.
"I couldn't believe how easy the Slimming World plan was to follow and how much I enjoyed all the meals."
Holly, from Wixams, Bedfordshire, admits she always struggled with her weight – and couldn't resist gorging on bread as she was growing up.
She said: "I've always been on the bigger side. I remember being 11 and school friends talking about what they weighed.
"They moaned about being eight stone and I stayed silent.
"I was 11st and it was the first time I really realised how much bigger I was.
"I had a big appetite and a sweet tooth.
"I was big throughout my teens and into my twenties. I went through stages of feeling OK about my weight then being desperate to be slim.
"Back then, I thought the only way to lose weight was to skip meals and starve yourself.
"I'd try, lose a bit but put it all back on. And it was really unhealthy.
Back then, I thought the only way to lose weight was to skip meals and starve yourself. I'd try, lose a bit but put it all back on. And it was really unhealthy
"I loved bread! I'd have toast for breakfast, sandwiches at lunch and more bread alongside my dinner."
Holly married her husband Steve, 37, a builder when she was 25 and wore a size 18/20 wedding dress.
But her weight made her miserable on her honeymoon and she felt as though she wanted to hide behind her beach towel.
She said: "I met Steve when I was 25. I was happier and didn't bother with crash diets. I ate what I wanted.
"We married in May 2011, when I was a size 18 or 20.
"We went on honeymoon to Egypt eight months later but I felt uncomfortable from the start. "Everyone else was slim and beautiful and looked so confident in their bikinis.
"I just wanted to hide away. I felt fat, frumpy and old but I was only 28. We had been trying for a baby for nine months with no success.
"It was then, hiding under a beach towel, I decided I needed to change."
Holly's diet
BEFORE
Breakfast: Two slices white toast
11am snack: Half pack of biscuits
Lunch: White bread cheese sarnie, crisps and sugary drink
Afternoon: Cake and coffee
After work snack: Crisps
Dinner: Ready-made lasagne and chips
AFTER
Breakfast: Overnight oats
Lunch: Homemade chicken salad with dressing
Snack: Grapes
Dinner: Homemade shepherd's pie with salad
Holly started reading up about Slimming World in the airport on the way home and signed up to her nearest group two days later.
Speaking about her first session at the weight loss group, she said: "Two days later, I walked in,
stood on the scales and was shocked when they read I weighed 16st 9lb.
"I felt like running away and hiding, but a messaged pinged through on my phone from Steve.
"It said: 'Good luck. You can do this. I'm really proud of you.'
"That made me determined to see it through.
"On the way home I decided to get the ingredients to make overnight oats and I ate them for breakfast the next day."
And Holly immediately fell in love with Slimming World's food plan – especially as it meant she could still eat her favourite foods.
She said: "I loved cooking each day's recipe and realised I could still have all my favourite meals. "I used to eat ready meal lasagne and chips but now I was eating homemade, healthy lasagne with salad.
"I stopped having four tablespoons of mayonnaise with every meal and made Slimming World dressings, instead."
We were given the green light and I was pregnant three weeks before my 30th birthday. I couldn't believe how quickly it all happened
Three months after joining Slimming World, Holly learned she needed IVF and her body mass index (BMI) had to be 30 or below to qualify for treatment on the NHS.
She added: "I'd already got it down from 37.5 to 34.1 but that gave me a massive push to keep going.
"Two months later, I'd lost three stone and my BMI was 30. I almost leapt out of my seat."
And Holly was soon granted the wish she'd always dreamed of – after she finally fell pregnant.
She said: "We were given the green light and I was pregnant three weeks before my 30th birthday. I couldn't believe how quickly it all happened.
"I kept up with the plan throughout my pregnancy.
"What better motivation than eating healthily for your unborn child?
"I had a few cravings but stuck to the healthy meals – and didn't gain any weight other than the baby's weight."
Holly's first child Taylor was born on August 10, 2014, and, even though being a new mum was tough, Slimming World kept Holly on the straight and narrow.
"I lost six stone in the eight months after the birth", she said.
"Since then, I've been pretty busy! After another round of IVF, we had twins on December 21, 2017.
"I made sure my old habits didn't creep back in and, following their birth, I reached my new target weight of 9st 13lb, a size eight.
"I've never rushed my weight loss or starved myself.
"I just made healthy swaps and gave up the junk. I couldn't be happier.
"Friends and family have been lovely but the main support has been Steve.
"He's been amazing – and even lost two stone himself eating my healthy dinners.
"I love that my children will only ever know the happy, healthy me who can run around with them."
Holly is now happier than ever at home with her three kids Taylor, five, and twins Evie and Zac, one.
And she is now urging other slimmers to follow in her footsteps and sign up to Slimming World.
She said: "Slimming World is for everyone, as there is so much choice.
"You never feel like you're missing out. It's changed my life. Now let it change yours, too."
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