'I wanted to lose weight to be a nice mother for my three boys' Her son being bullied for having a fat mum was all the incentive Claire Giles needed to lose weight. She and two other determined dieters tell Lydia Whitfield how they shed the pounds and changed their lives.WHEN single mum of three Claire Giles heard her eldest son was being picked on for having a big mum, it was enough to kick-start her seven-and-a-half stone weight loss. Claire, 35, has two other sons with difficulties and wanted to be a fun, fit mum for them too. Getting rid of arthritis in her knee and lifelong asthma were also huge incentives in her year-long weight loss. Claire, mum to Harrison, eight, Adam, five and Callum, two, was 18st 13.5lbs when she joined her local Llanrumney Slimming World Slimming World is a British company which runs over 5,000 weight loss classes a week across the UK. Adults who are seven or more pounds overweight may join a local Slimming World class and pay a weekly fee to attend classes. group on October 2 last year. "I had been to Slimming World before having Callum," says Claire, now 11st 4lbs. "I was a bit down and wanted to lose a bit of weight, lost nearly three stone then found out I was pregnant. I stopped going when I was four months pregnant but rejoined the Llanrumney group last year when I was going through a horrible divorce and was a depressed single mum of three. "I did put quite a bit of weight on after having my children. I didn't notice it so much with my first two, but with my youngest, it was devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. . "Harrison, my oldest, came home a few times a bit upset. I asked what was wrong and he said a boy had said to him: 'Your mum can't even fit in a taxi because the size of the taxi doesn't stretch to that.' I told him not to let it get to him, but inside I felt terrible. "Callum has severe learning difficulties as well as flat head syndrome and torticollis Torticollis Definition Torticollis (cervical dystonia or spasmodic torticollis) is a type of movement disorder in which the muscles controlling the neck cause sustained twisting or frequent jerking. of the neck. My middle son also has two turns in his eye, but has now been given glasses. I wanted to lose weight to be a nice mother for them. "They have enough problems without having an unfit and unhealthy mum who can't enjoy her time with them. Now I take my boys swimming and get on the trampoline trampoline Resilient sheet or web (often of nylon) supported by springs in a metal frame and used as a springboard and landing area in tumbling. Trampolining is an individual sport of acrobatic movements performed after rebounding into the air from the trampoline. . I wouldn't have worn a swimming costume the size I was. I'm bubbly and love cooking, which I never did before. I'm not a 'bulgy mum' anymore, as Harrison used to call me." Shortly after Harrison was tormented Claire was upset when she went shopping and needed size 24 jeans. "I couldn't have that," she says. Claire and her sons enjoy eating as a family and tucking into Slimming World meals like shepherds' pie, made with extra lean mince meat, onions, peppers, mushrooms and a topping of mashed swede swede: see turnip. and turnip turnip, garden vegetable of the same genus of the family Cruciferae (mustard family) as the cabbage; native to Europe, where it has been long cultivated. The two principal kinds are the white (Brassica rapa) and the yellow (B. instead of potato. "The boys love it," says Claire, now a size 14. "My sister Dawn did all the cooking before. I went round her house and would fall asleep on the sofa because I had arthritis in one knee and also asthma. My asthma had been getting worse but gives me no trouble now and it feels like I've never had arthritis." Before, Claire would often skip breakfast or have a full fry-up complete with greasy fried bread Fried bread or fried slice is bread, sliced, fried and served as part of, or as an accompaniment to, a meal. A traditional Irish breakfast doesn't usually contain any fried bread but is usually accompanied by soda bread. . Lunch would be sausage in batter and chips or fish and chips fish and chips pl.n. Fried fillets of fish and French-fried potatoes. Noun 1. fish and chips - fried fish and french-fried potatoes dish - a particular item of prepared food; "she prepared a special dish for dinner" from the chip shop and tea would be takeaway pizza or microwave meals. "Tea was anything easy," says Claire. "I love cooking now and cook every day. I enjoy porridge with chopped banana and semi-skimmed milk Noun 1. semi-skimmed milk - milk from which some of the cream has been removed milk - a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings for breakfast, omelette fried in spray oil with grilled bacon, mushroom and tomatoes for lunch with a light yoghurt or an orange for dessert. "Then tea will be shepherd's pie shep·herd's pie n. A meat pie baked in a crust of mashed potatoes. shepherd's pie Noun a baked dish of minced meat covered with mashed potato Noun 1. or chicken stir fry Verb 1. stir fry - fry very quickly over high heat; "stir-fry the vegetables in a wok" cookery, cooking, preparation - the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat; "cooking can be a great art"; "people are needed who have experience in or liver casserole made from scratch. "I still really enjoy my food and the boys are eating lots more fruit and vegetables now as well. I don't miss my old favourite foods at all. Sometimes if I smell chocolate now, I feel a bit sick. I still have a packet of crisps, but use them from my Slimming World Syns. I'm a different person." * For information on the Llanrumney Slimming World group Claire attends, call Amanda Davies on 029 2079 8111 or 07980546426 and for details of new groups opening call Lisa Marie on 029 2021 9589 or 07967648692. CAPTION(S): Slimmer Claire Giles with her three sons Harrison, aged eight, Callum, aged two, and Adam, aged five. Inset, Claire before her eight stone loss |
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