I was so ashamed of my weight at 16st I’d hide behind my children
A mom so embarrassed about her weight that she used to hide behind tins of her kids’ family photos has lost seven stone after ditching fast food.
Clare Skyvington, from Brickfields, Worcester, skyrocketed to 16.3 stone after eating a diet of pizza, chips, burgers and chocolate when she was pregnant.
The 39-year-old office administrator ate up to six meals a day, washed down with fizzy drinks.
Every day she chewed half a pack of cookies and a family pizza for herself.
The single mother was so depressed that she was too embarrassed to take a picture on her own.
Clare Skyvington, of Brickfields, Worcester, who was so embarrassed about her weight that she used to hide behind the tins of family photos of her kids, has shed seven bricks after dumping fast food
She would only pose for photos if her kids were in the snap too, so she could crouch behind them to hide her figure.
Clare, who had been warned she had pre-diabetes during her pregnancies, was forced to take drastic measures after struggling to walk to a shop.
The four-foot-tall mom also wanted to keep up with her two children, Jake, seven, and four-year-old Scarlett.
She joined a gym and traded her takeout for healthy cereal, pasta and salad.
After three years of exercising three times a week and eating sensibly, she has lost more than seven kilos.
She now weighs a trim nine stone and has gone from a dress size 20 to an eight.
She’s gotten so fit she’s even competing in distance running and the grueling Wolf Run with her new gym friends.
The single mom was so low she was too embarrassed to pose for a picture alone and posed behind her son Jake
After three years of exercising three times a week and eating sensibly, she has lost more than seven kilos
Clare, said: ‘At my heaviest I weighed just over 16 stone.
“I could have been a little bigger than that. I am only 4’11. As you can imagine with my height and when I was at my tallest I was huge.
“When I was pregnant with my daughter, she was on my sciatic nerve, so I was limited in my range of motion.
“I literally gorged myself on junk food, eating my own body weight in garbage.
“The pregnancy was very stressful and there were a lot of problems and I ate and ate and ate.
“My diabetes readings were high. I was registered as pre-diabetic. I knew at that moment that something had to change in the base.
Clare weighed just over 16 pounds six years ago and she was forced to take drastic measures after struggling to walk to a shop
The 39-year-old office administrator ate up to six meals a day, washed down with fizzy drinks
When she was pregnant with her daughter, she was on her sciatic nerve, which limited her movement
She was miserable and always hiding and she would not allow herself to be photographed without her children
‘At that time I went on holiday in the UK and hid behind my children.
‘I suddenly realized that I had no pictures without my children. I never walked, I drove everywhere and my diet was terrible. I lived on fast food and convenience foods.
“I was miserable before, unhappy. I always hid, I didn’t let myself be photographed. I would avoid activity.’
Finally, one day in 2020, Clare mustered up the courage to join her local leisure center and was instantly hooked.
She said, “I started participating in group exercises, like body fights. I needed to get my nutrition under control, so I took advice from the experts at the gym.
“Growing up, I struggled to walk to the store and couldn’t burp.
“It takes three and a half years to lose my weight, but that made me realize how to keep it off.
“I know how far I can go up and down, I know where my lines are. I still have treats and naughty meals.
Finally, one day in 2020, Clare plucked up the courage to join her local leisure center and was instantly hooked
On average, she works out five days a week and does a combination of cardio and strength training
“I still do all the exercises I used to lose weight now.
“You have a naughty weekend and it kind of goes up and then it goes down in the week. It’s really about healthy living and living in moderation.
“I also drink a lot of water now. I probably wouldn’t drink half a liter of water a day.
“It would be tea, coffee and soft drinks. I tend to hydrate myself more. Sometimes you can confuse hunger with a need for a drink.
“Three or four months ago I had a diabetes test and it was clear, nothing was wrong.
“I’m a lot happier now and I don’t want to be poor.
‘On average I exercise five days a week and I do a mix of cardio and strength training.
“I do a lot of group training programs. That’s been a driving force, the support.
“I did the Wolf Run with them, they always push me to do better.
“My natural weight is about what I am now, which is ideal. It’s like my happy place. It’s my favorite place.’