A mother who was refused entry onto a fairground ride because she was too heavy has revealed how she lost seven stone in a year without Mounjaro or Ozempic.
Vanessa Gregory, 29, from Cheshire, was mortified when an attendant told her she was too overweight to ride with her young sons.
Weighing more than 18 stone and wearing a dress size 22, Vanessa realised in that moment that something had to change.
‘I couldn’t run around after my children, I couldn’t go on slides or swings because of my size,’ she said.
‘But that moment at the fairground was a turning point.
‘I hadn’t realised just how big I was. I walked away, absolutely humiliated, but determined to change.’
Vanessa had always been a little bigger through her childhood and after having her sons, Jacob, now seven, and George, now three, she piled on the pounds.
Vanessa Gregory, from Cheshire, who was refused entry onto a fairground ride because of her weight has lost almost seven stone
She joined slimming club Beeweighed, based in Manchester, and has lost over six and a half stone in one year-dropping to a dress size 10
She explained: ‘My diet was terrible and I relied heavily on carbs.
‘I’d have three slices of white toast soaked in butter then I’d eat up the kids’ leftovers at breakfast.
‘I loved pastries, bread, pies, and chocolate.
‘I’d eat processed rubbish like oven chips, onion rings and pizzas, with snacks in between.’
By 2022, she weighed 18 stone 2lbs and was a dress size 22.
While on a holiday to North Wales with her partner, Darren and their sons, she was refused entry onto a children’s fairground ride.
She said: ‘I walked away, so embarrassed, and it hit me just how big I was.
‘Up to that point, I hadn’t even tried to lose weight, I didn’t see it as a priority.
‘I didn’t like how I looked, or the frumpy way I had to dress, but I just accepted it.
‘I was probably in denial.’
Then Vanessa joined Beeweighed, a slimming club, early in 2023, and she started on her weightloss journey.
She said: ‘The group encouraged people to consider what’s happening inside the body, as well as outside; it looked at the bigger picture.
‘I found that really helped, knowing why I should make healthier choices.
Vanessa was mortified when an attendant told her she was too overweight to ride with her young sons (pictured after her weight loss)
By 2022, she weighed 18 stone 2lbs and was a dress size 22. While on a holiday to North Wales with her partner, Darren and their sons, she was refused entry onto a children’s fairground ride
Weighing over 18 stone and wearing a dress size 22, Vanessa, 29, realised in that moment that something had to change
‘I began fasting until 11am and then I’d have a protein bar. I had salad or omelette for lunch, stir fry or prawn rice for dinner, and always two litres of water a day.
‘It was hard, especially at first, and the whole family began eating healthily with me.
‘That September, I went to Tenerife with my three sisters who are all slim, and I felt so proud that I was finally able to wear a bikini without feeling self-conscious.’
By the end of the year, Vanessa had lost an incredible six and a half stones and dropped to a dress size 10.
She now weighs 11st 11lbs and runs her own Beeweighed group in Crewe, Cheshire.
Then Vanessa joined Beeweighed, a slimming club, early in 2023, and she started on her weightloss journey
By the end of the year, Vanessa had lost an incredible six and a half stones and dropped to a dress size 10
Vanessa said her partner Darren is really proud of her and she now has more energy to play with her children in the park
She now weighs 11st 11lbs and runs her own Beeweighed group in Crewe, Cheshire
She said: ‘The best thing about my weight loss is my confidence. I can wear clothes I like, not just clothes that fit.
‘People tell me I look much younger too.
‘The kids like the new me because I have more energy to play with them and run around. I used to just sit on a bench and watch them when we went to the park.
‘Darren’s really proud of me, and I’m proud of myself.
‘My advice to anyone trying to lose weight would be to set small goals, don’t compare your weight loss to others, and put yourself first.
‘Nobody can care for you the way you can care for yourself. That day at the fairground was a real wake up call for me.
‘I’d like to go back and thank the attendant who refused to let me on the ride, because he changed my life.’
