>
A single mom who was embarrassed to take pictures with her daughter because of her frame size 22 has revealed how she came in 7th.
Lara McReynolds, 32, a GP receptionist from Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, fell at her heaviest at 18th 6lb and found that her size got in the way of playing with her seven-year-old daughter Halle.
She hated how she looked in photos and would only take pictures of her face to hide her body.
Lara, who would eat takeout four times a week, was determined to make a change and joined the 1:1 diet which includes a range of low-calorie meal replacement products such as soups, shakes and bars.
She has now slimmed down to size 12 and lost a whopping six dress sizes.
A single mom who was embarrassed to take pictures with her daughter because of her frame size 22 has revealed how she came in 7th. Pictured, in June 2019 in size 22, weighing 18 stone, with her daughter Halle
Lara, pictured in November 2020 wearing a size 22 silver dress on a night out, decided it was time to change her lifestyle
Lara is now a size 12 after losing 7th by using their diet of low calorie meal replacement products such as shakes and soups
Her waist has also been reduced from 47 inches to 31 inches.
The mother said she was “missing out on daily activities with her daughter” because of her weight and felt the pressure of being a single parent meant she “need to do something about her weight.”
Lara said, “As a single parent, it dawned on me that I can’t just get bigger and bigger and miss out on activities with my daughter.
“I had to make sure I was healthy so I can live a long life and be there for her.
“There are hardly any pictures of me and Halle together from back in the day, and the ones that do exist are just our faces so people wouldn’t see my body.
“I was ashamed to be in the picture with her because of my weight.”
The mother-of-one said she would eat up to four takeaway meals a week because she found it difficult to get motivated to cook after putting Halle to bed and “constantly eating.”
She would see takeaway as a reward during a tough week, juggling the pressures of single parenthood and work.
Pictured above mum of one Lara in 2019 (left) at 22 stone and now (right) at size 12 feeling fit, healthy and more confident after feeling like she wouldn’t be there for her daughter if she didn’t make the necessary changes in her health
Lara in 2020. She said she would eat up to four takeaway meals a week after feeling too tired after putting her daughter to bed.
She said: ‘I was constantly eating, I felt like I always had food with me. I ate a lot of junk food and comfort food by rewarding myself with takeout on good or bad days.
“I had three or four a week, it was just quick and easy. I made dinner for my daughter around 5pm and then did the bedtime routine so by the time I sat down it was 7pm and I didn’t want to start cooking a big meal.
“I have a sweet tooth, so I was bad at eating sweets and pastries.”
Lara McReynolds, 32, tapped 18.6 last year and struggled to play with her daughter Halle, age seven. She hated how she looked in pictures and only took pictures of her face to hide her body
Lara shows off the huge difference in her weight by wearing the same silver dress she wore on a night out in 2020
Lara now says her daughter loves that she can now run around and play with her after the drastic weight loss.
Lara joined her local 1:1 group and now eats about 1,500 calories a day.
She said: ‘I had followed the diet in the past and never kept it up, but this time I was determined to do it and lose the weight.
‘It’s bizarre the difference I’ve seen in my measurements. Now I’m happy to take pictures with Halle. I’m more active and can do things with Halle, we go out a lot more.
Lara McReynolds and daughter Halle together now that she’s lost the weight – she said she ‘wants to be there for her daughter’
Lara is now happy to take pictures with Halle – before she would hide her body and feel self-conscious about her weight
Lara now says she now eats about 1,500 calories a day and has replaced kebabs and McDonald’s with salad and omelets, as well as the 1:1 diet supplements
“We play together and I can chase her like I never could before. I now eat about 1500 calories a day.
“I lost the weight without actually exercising, which was a bonus, I’ve never been much of a gym goer.
“Halle is thrilled that I’ve lost weight now, she loves it and she’s helping me stay on track.”