Mother who ballooned to 25st because she NEVER felt full no matter how much she ate reveals how she lost more than half her body weight – while still eating big portions and carbs
- Stacey Gascoyne, 29, weighed 25st 2lbs and wore a size 32 at her heaviest
- Mother, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, would go to a buffet without feeling full
- She decided to overhaul her diet after struggling to take her daughter to school
- Stacey has dropped 14st 8lbs by joining Slimming World and taking up walking
An overweight mother who struggled to complete everyday tasks without her inhaler has revealed how she shed 14st 8lbs without surgery.
Stacey Gascoyne, 29, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, weighed 25st 2lbs and wore a size 32 at her heaviest, and struggled to lose weight because no matter how much she ate, she never felt full.
Even when she went to her local ‘all you can eat’ buffet she could eat plate after plate of fried food and still not feel full up.
Despite researching gastric band surgery, she decided to lose weight naturally by joining Slimming World alongside her mum which led her to drop to 10st 8lb, after learning how to satisfy her appetite with foods that are filling and low in calories.
Stacey Gascoyne, 29, (pictured) from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, who once weighed 25st 2lbs has revealed how she shed almost 15st after joining Slimming World
Stacey (pictured before) saw her dress size spiral to a UK32 after routinely going to a local ‘all you can eat’ buffet
Stacey said she couldn’t move without needing her inhaler before joining Slimming World in April 2019 (pictured left)
Stacey, who now wears a size 10, admits that she was ‘mortified’ by photos taken at her heaviest and would feel self-conscious when clothes shopping.
The mother-of-one, who spent years avoiding the scales, had trouble sleeping and struggled take her daughter to and from school because she was more and more reliant on her inhaler.
Stacey said: ‘In April 2019 I joined Slimming World weighing 25st 2lbs. I was severely asthmatic and couldn’t move an inch without needing my inhaler. I’d avoided the scales for so long and was mortified when I saw how much I weighed.
‘I had problems sleeping and found I couldn’t run or play with my daughter and I even struggled to walk her to school and back. All of my life I was always the bigger girl but when I saw a picture of myself with my partner, Jordan, I was mortified at how big I’d become. I’d tried multiple diets and quick fixes before, but I always gave up because they left me hungry.
‘I even went down the route of looking at having a gastric band. I knew I had to change and when my mum said she was joining Slimming World, I jumped at the chance to go with her. That was the best decision I’ve ever made.
‘From the very first time I went to my Slimming World group, I was bowled over hearing everyone else sharing their stories. I realised I wasn’t the only one struggling and it seemed there was a way to lose weight without hunger.
‘Rather than prepare meals I’d constantly snack on biscuits, crisps and family size bars of chocolate without a single thought of the damage it was doing.
Stacey admitted that she would struggled to take her daughter to and from school and had problems sleeping before shedding her excess weight (pictured)
Stacey said she had always been a bigger girl but was ‘mortified’ by photos taken with her partner Jordan by how big she had become
Stacey (pictured now) said she jumped at the chance to join Slimming World, where she learnt that she wasn’t the only person struggling to lose weight without hunger
Stacey’s diet before…
Breakfast: Danish pastry or big bowl of chocolate cereal
Lunch: Shop bought sandwiches, chocolate and crisps
Dinner: Takeaway such as pizza or a kebab
Snacks: Multi-packs of biscuits, crisps and share bars of chocolate
Stacey’s diet now
Breakfast: Overnight Weetabix cheesecake, smoked salmon & eggs, or low-fat yoghurt, strawberries and blueberries
Lunch: Lean chicken with lots of salad
Dinner: Slimming World chicken tikka masala with rice and peas
Snacks: High fibre bar or a Babybel light or fruit
‘Slimming World’s eating plan has helped me eat to satisfy my appetite because it’s based on foods that are really healthy – filling and low in calories, so you can enjoy big portions and you never feel hungry.
‘Now I plan all my week’s meals in advance, it’s helped me to save money too as when I go shopping, I only buy exactly what I need and I’m not thinking ‘What will we have for tea?’ when I’m in the supermarket aisle. I feel more in control and I’ve stopped going to the fridge when I’m bored.
‘I love that I can have a treat too and I don’t have to cut everything out. My partner Jordan enjoys the food I’ve been cooking – our favourite Slimming World meal is easy chilli con carne.
‘Before joining Slimming World we used to go to our local ‘all you can eat’ buffet and I’d have plate after plate of food that was often cooked in oil or covered in batter and I never really felt full.’
Stacey said she would eat plate after plate of food often cooked in oil or covered in batter but never felt full . Now she’s slimmed down by eating lower calorie food that satisfies her appetite
Stacey explained that the weight loss plan shocked those around her saying: ‘My friends and family couldn’t believe I was losing weight as I continued to eat the same size meals although I knew what was on the plate was different and more healthy.
‘My daughter loves eating the meals I cook too. She’s so proud of me and wants to support me and both my mum and dad are in awe of how well I’ve done.
‘Losing almost 15st has saved my life. I don’t need my inhaler and I’ve discovered a new love of walking. I walk and run for miles and I feel I’ve been given the freedom to enjoy my life with my family again.
‘I’m able to get out of bed in the morning and look in a mirror, something I wouldn’t have dreamt of doing before. I’ve gone from being a size 32 and far too self-conscious to go clothes shopping to a size 10 and finding a new love for clothes and fashion.
Before her weight loss, Stacey said she was used to being the bigger girl (left). Glamorous! Now Stacey is able to slip into a slinky LBD (right)
Stacey said she no longer needs her inhaler since shedding almost 15st (pictured) and spending time on her outfits brings such joy
‘Now I get up and take an extra 20 mins to pick an outfit and check what I look like in a mirror. It brings me such joy.
‘I feel I’m now living the life I was always meant to live – I’m able to do activities with my family I never thought I’d be able to do and my confidence has grown massively. I no longer avoid the mirror or the camera and I’m happy for anyone to take my picture now! I’m not hiding any more, I make my own spotlight.’
Stacey’s weight loss success comes after research from the University of Leeds, which claims to explain why some people find it harder to maintain a healthy weight than others.
The findings show that some people struggle to lose weight because they have a ‘low satiety response’, which means that they find it harder to satisfy their appetite.
Stacey said she was far too self-conscious to go clothes shopping as a size 32 (pictured), but has found a new love for fashion since dropping to a size 10
Researchers claim some people end up consuming more calories because they have difficulty in recognising appetite signals. Pictured: Stacey before and after weight loss
They have difficulty in recognising appetite signals, are more likely to reach for snacks and take longer to feel full after eating – and therefore end up consuming more calories. Those people who have weaker satiety signals find it especially difficult to follow a restrictive or calorie-counted diet plan, and so find it harder to lose weight on that kind of programme.
The research also shows that choosing certain foods lower in energy density or calories per gram can help people with a low satiety response feel more in control of their appetite and protect them from the risk of over-consuming calories, making it easier to lose weight.
Dr Nicola Buckland led a team of researchers as they compared two groups of female slimmers.
One group followed a typical calorie-counting diet, the others followed Slimming World’s Food Optimising plan based on healthy, low energy dense foods, eaten freely.
The low energy dense foods are everyday staples such as fresh fruit and veg, lean meat and poultry, eggs, pasta, rice and fat free dairy products.
Researchers at the University of Leeds found some people are more in control of their appetite and their food choices when given foods that tend to be lower in fats and sugar, and higher in protein, complex carbohydrates and fibre
Professor Stubbs claimed it’s the first time that the connection between people who have a low satiety response and foods low in energy density have been research
The two groups contained people with both low and high satiety responses. The aim was to investigate the impact of these low energy dense foods on appetite satisfaction, and the role that feeling satisfied plays in feelings of self control and sticking with a weight loss programme.
Further analysis by researchers found that when people with a low satiety response ate meals based on low energy dense foods, which tend to be lower in fats and sugar, and higher in protein, complex carbohydrates and fibre, they were more in control of their appetite and their food choices than when they were given high energy dense meals.
They also found that slimmers were able to eat a greater volume of food, while naturally limiting their calorie intake.
The overall study found slimmers who were following Slimming World’s eating plan based on eating low energy dense foods freely, felt more in control of their food intake and lost significantly more weight than the group following a calorie-controlled diet.
before her weight loss, Stacey strugled to do the school run and was increasingly reliant on her asthma inhaler
Dr Jacquie Lavin said it’s important to recognise that any dietary approach to weight management has limited effects in isolation
Professor James Stubbs from the Leeds research team said: ‘People who have a low satiety response feel less satisfied after eating.
‘They’re more likely to crave high fat foods, to snack between meals and generally are less able to stick to their plans around food choices – therefore they’re more likely to consume more calories than people with a high satiety response and find it harder to manage their weight.
‘What this research looked at for the first time is how, for those people who have a low satiety response, choosing foods low in energy density (those foods naturally low in calories per gram) could help them feel fuller, limit their calorie intake and so help their weight loss.’
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