AYSHA WEARS:
Above: Top and
skirt, both Dorothy
Perkins. Boots,
ASOS. Earrings,
Primark. Bag,
Topshop
p: Top, Zara.
Trousers, Monsoon.
Shoes, Debenhams.
Necklace, J by
Jasper Conran
at Debenhams.
Ring, Accessorize‘Anxiety no longer
holds me back’
Aysha Thomson, , is a full-time mum. She lives in
Falkirk, Stirlingshire, with her husband, Mark, and her
children, Jamie, , and Louise, seven. Aysha is ft ins
tall and weighs st lbs. She’s lost st at Karen Petale’s
Slimming World group in Grangemouth, StirlingshireI
’ll never forget the day another girl pushed me
off the parked school bus shouting: ‘You’re too
heavy, the bus can’t take it!’ Back home, safely
hidden from the bullies, I’d comfort myself with
huge portions of steak pie and rice pudding.
As I got bigger, I became so self-conscious that
if I had to speak in front of the class, I’d get halfway
through then run out into the corridor, heart racing.
Years passed and though I tried to put school behind
me, my anxiety didn’t go away. Even surrounded by
my loving family – my parents, my husband Mark,
and my children, Jamie and Louise – my happiness
was always clouded by my low self-esteem.
At nearly 19st, I’d only leave the house to drop
the kids at school. Being seen in public made me
so anxious, I had to steel myself just to walk out
the front door. I’d feel stressed and panicked all the
way there, which would also trigger my irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS) – a digestive condition that
could leave me doubled over in pain. One day,
when I turned up at the school gates to collect
Jamie, I heard the other kids teasing him about his
overweight mum and it broke my heart.
Then my grandfather, who I called Papa, became
ill with cancer. We were very close, and I was visiting
him in hospital when he turned to me and said:
‘I’m not scared of dying because I’ve lived a
wonderful life – now, lass, it’s time that you started
getting out and living yours.’ It was with his words
ringing in my ears that I walked, shaking with fear,
into a Slimming World group.
I was sceptical when my Consultant,
Karen, explained the generosity of the plan,
but I thought I’d try it for a week. Straight
away I loved all the filling recipes – sweet and
sour chicken, lamb stew and even a lightened-
up version of stovies, a Scottish dish of meat,
potatoes and onions – and I still lost 4lbs!
With each stone lost over the months that
followed, my self-esteem grew and anxiety
began to lose its grip on my life. Going to
group each week and mixing with members
helped me feel more confident about leaving
the house. My IBS flare-ups became rarer, too,
and when I saw my GP, she was delighted.
In two years I lost 9st and now life couldn’t
be more different. I’ll take Jamie and Louise
out for a walk along the canal and feel their
confidence blossoming along with mine.
I often think about how proud Papa would be
of me, socialising with the friends I’ve made
in group while wearing a size-8 dress, and
even flying to America with Mark. I’m out living
my life, and it feels amazing!SLIMMING WORLD well-being special
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