Two-year-old mum of two lost an incredible eight and a quarter stone when she was left “mortified” after becoming too heavy to go on a fairground ride.
Karen Fay (52), originally from Glasgow, now lives in Morecambe in Lancashire. She said that she felt like the ground was going to swallow her when she could not ride Nickelodeon Land in Blackpool together with Charlotte, her daughter.
Karen was unable to secure her seatbelt buckle between her legs. The ride could not start. Karen had to get out and return past the queue of people watching.
This incident caused her such distress that she decided to join Slimming World immediately.
Karen Fay became motivated to lose weight in 2008 after she was unable to ride along with her daughter.
After having children, the director of the family-owned specialist cleaning company was 21st 7lbs heavier than her daughter Charlotte. This photo was taken before she lost weight in June 2005.
Karen Fay attributes her dramatic weight loss to transforming her life and giving her confidence back. Here she is wearing her size 24 old shorts.
Karen, who weighed in at 21st 7lb her most heaviest weight, now weighs a slim 13st1lb. Karen has also lost 6 dress sizes.
She stated that her little girl, who was then four years old at the time, wanted to ride the train.
“I didn’t want to go, but the guy asked me if you wanted to go with her, as there were adult seats. I answered, “OK.
“The bar is set and the buckle of your seatbelt between you and the ground won’t allow it to close. Because the buckle wouldn’t close, it couldn’t turn off.
She lost 3 stone after joining Slimming World in 2008. Left: Karen in 2010, Karen is now a Slimming World consultant. She does this in her free time in order to inspire others.
“I was completely mortified.” “I just wanted to be swallowed by the ground.”
“I joined Slimming World almost immediately.
Karen, who is a director in her family’s specialist cleaning business, gained weight following having children. She weighed 21 st 7 lbs when Charlotte was born.
In 2008, after an incident at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, she made the decision to lose weight.
Slimming World helped her to lose 3 t. In 2014, she was still struggling to get the pedals on her car.
Karen added: ‘We went back the next year and I made a point of riding the ride and it felt absolutely amazing.
“I was 17st and I felt that I could ride the bike.”
“I used to go in and out of SlimmingWorld for years, and then in 2014 I bought a car. I couldn’t reach the pedals and was uncomfortable.
“I was going up and down. Then I lost a few stones, and got a stone back.
At the beginning of lockdown in March 2020 she was 17st. She also attended virtual Slimming World events.
However, Lancashire decided that she was fed up with feeling unsatisfied about her weight in September when she was forced into Tier 3 restrictions.
Karen, who was 21st 7lb when she was at her largest, now weighs 13st 1lb. She has also lost six dress sizes.
Before her weight loss, Karen looked at herself in the mirror and told herself to ‘get a grip’ before getting stick in. Pictured t her heaviest, July, 2007
She had already lost 7st 7lbs by May 2021 and was close to her target weight. She knew that she had more to lose and she lost an additional stone in September.
Karen said, “I looked in the mirror and thought to myself: “Get a grip!” and then I was completely stuck in.
I’d just begun power walking. In 2018, I was given the challenge to complete a Couch to 5k. In April 2019, I ran my first 5K, it took me 45 minutes.’
“All the time I was locked up, I continued to run every day. The one hour I was allowed to exercise outside, I ran.
“The weight began to fall, but I was confident that I could accomplish more.”
Karen, now 13st 1lb slim, has lost eight inches on her bust, eleven inches off the hips, and 25 inches in her waist.
She credits her dramatic weight loss for changing her life and giving her confidence back.
Karen, now an experienced runner who runs three 5ks per week, looks virtually unrecognisable when she takes photographs.
Karen became a Slimming World Consultant after her weight loss. She does this in her free time in order to inspire others. Pictured before her weight loss in June, 2014
Karen, now an experienced runner who runs 5ks three times per week, is almost impossible to recognize in her photographs. She is wearing a size 24 pair of shorts she used to wear.
She is also a Slimming World Consultant, which she practices in her free time in order to inspire others.
She said, “I weighed 21 stone and a quarter after having my second child. I was miserable.”
“My first thoughts every morning were about how big I was, what my weight was and what clothing I would wear. I never felt comfortable.’
“I feel that my entire attitude towards life has changed.
“I am happy. I have lost weight successfully and that has given me a new lease on life.”
‘It’s given me my sparkle back. Although I used to be involved in amateur dramatics, and was on the stage at times, most of my time it is just a mask.