A JUNK food addict who used to scoff two McDonald’s breakfasts a day is now unrecognisable after shedding a whopping 14 stone.
Paige Vickers ballooned to 23st after years of binging on takeaways, crisps and chocolate and was taunted as a “whale” by cruel school bullies.
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The 25-year-old from County Durham, yo-yoed between 21st and 23st while battling to shift the pounds with diets and fitness fads.
On days she skipped her McDonald’s fix, she’d grab sausage rolls and bakes from Greggs instead.
But after splashing £3,000 on a gastric sleeve op in Turkey in June 2024, Paige’s life has completely changed.
She now weighs just 9st 12lbs and has gone from a size 28 to a slinky size 10, with pals saying she looks like a totally different person.
Unbelievable photos show Paige’s transformation a year apart next to her partner, Matthew Wilkinson, 25, looking like a completely different person.
Now, Paige admits friends and family do double takes in the street and quips it’s like Matthew as a new girlfriend.
Paige, from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, said: “It is a shock, it’s like my partner has a new girlfriend.
“Even my family have said they still have to double check it’s me because they can’t get over how quickly I’ve changed.
“It’s so funny the number of times I’ve been to town and I’ve walked past old friends and they haven’t even noticed it’s me. They’re gobsmacked.
“It makes me feel buzzing. It makes me dead happy because I didn’t think I’d get to this point. I didn’t even think I’d hit 14 stone.
“I’d tried loads of different diets, I’d tried different exercise routines. Nothing could shift it, it was just defeating.
“My partner just wanted to stand by me through whatever. We both found each other at the right time and since then we’ve stuck by each other.
“I say we’ve stuck by each other through thick and thin. Literally.”
The couple have been together for nearly two years after meeting through mutual friends, when Paige was at her heaviest.
Paige said: “Since being a teenager I’ve always struggled with my weight.
“I’ve always been on the bigger side. I got diagnosed with polycystic ovaries when I was 18 or 19.
“That took a toll on me, it started making my weight fluctuate.
“It [surgery] had always been in the back of my mind anyway, but after everything that I’d been through I was like, ‘no this is it now’.
“I was really struggling with how I looked. I’d been bullied multiple times, that’s the first thing people go for in an argument. It does impact you a lot, you don’t realise it.
“It’d be your typical, ‘you’re fat, you’re chubby, whale’. It does take a toll.”
Paige’s change in diet
TYPICAL FOOD DIARY BEFORE
- Breakfast – Two McDonalds breakfast meals or snack from Greggs
- Lunch – A big sandwich
- Tea- Takeaway pizza or Chinese takeaway
- Snacks – Crisps, chocolate bars
- Drinks – Litre of fizzy pop
TYPICAL FOOD DIARY AFTER
- Breakfast – Protein shake
- Lunch – Still full from breakfast
- Tea – Chicken and broccoli with sweet potato
- Snacks – Piece of fruit
- Drinks – Water
Paige posted a TikTok video showcasing her jaw-dropping transformation and while many were quick to congratulate her, others were less supportive.
Paige said: “I’m quite a sarcastic person. I think because I’ve had that much said to me over the years I’m thick skinned.
“Some of the comments are stupid, saying that he’s going to leave me anyway because he clearly likes bigger people, it’s a fetish.
“That’s just your typical stuff though from trolls and it always tends to be the single men.”
The video has been viewed more than 445,000 times by users and racked up 30,500 likes.
One user wrote: “Omg girl you look amazing!”
Another commented: “Apologies didn’t watch to the end, what an investment piece. Get that lad scouting for Bournemouth.”
A third wrote: “A real man!! you look brilliant girl, hope you’re super proud of yourself.”
A fourth commented: “Impossible.”
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The 5 best exercises to lose weight
By Lucy Gornall, personal trainer and health journalist
EXERCISE can be intimidating and hard to devote yourself to. So how do you find the right workout for you?
As a PT and fitness journalist, I’ve tried everything.
I’ve taken part in endless fitness competitions, marathons and I maintain a regime of runs, strength training and Pilates.
Fitness is so entrenched in my life, I stick to it even at Christmas!
The key is finding an activity you love that can become a habit.
My top five forms of exercise, especially if you’re trying to lose weight, are:
- Walking
- Running
- Pilates
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Strength training
