When Dunfermline teacher Andrea Reid’s son told her he was worried about the impact her size was having on her health, she knew she had to do something about it.
It made the single mum realise that she wanted to make sure she would be around in the years to come for her son, Ollie, 13.
At that point the 44-year-old tipped the scales at 23 stone 2.5lbs.
Now, a year and a half later, Andrea has shed an incredible eight and a half stone after joining her local Slimming World group.
And she says the wake-up call changed her life.
“My son told me he was really worried about my health because of my size,” she explains.
“And this became the main reason I wanted to lose weight – so I could be there for Ollie.
“I needed to lose weight to show him I could be the mother I should be.”
Comfort eating after a difficult few years
The pivotal moment came after a difficult few years for the geography teacher, who works at Queen Anne High School.
It followed the break-up of a relationship.
Andrea admits she started comfort eating as a result.
“I have always been bigger – at a size 18 to 20 – and I have been on every single diet under the sun.
“I tried Weight Watchers and lost a couple of stone and also tried SlimFast and lost a couple of stone.
“But then I gave up so the weight went back on again.
“Then when my relationship fell apart, I just started comfort eating again.”
When did she join Slimming World group in Dunfermline?
In April 2023, Andrea had been looking for a local Slimming World group to join.
She started off at Samantha Moat’s Slimming World group in Townhill before joining the consultant’s group at the City Hotel in Dunfermline.
The mum-of-one says her eating plan encourages her to eat more freshly cooked meals.
As well as eating more fruit and vegetables.
“For breakfast I will have a cup of tea and some porridge with milk,” she says.
“Or I will have two slices of wholemeal toast with ginger jam or cereal like Shreddies or Weetabix with some semi-skimmed milk.
“At lunch I might have lentil soup with bacon or ham, a yoghurt and some fruit with water.
“Or I might have a can of diet coke or coke zero.
“For dinner it can vary. I might have spaghetti Bolognese, chicken dishes or try a Slimming World recipe.
“Occasionally I make my son what I have and he helps me to prepare the food too.”
What kind of foods did Andrea used to eat?
Andrea now weighs out how much cereal she eats.
Whereas before she would have three or four times the amount and it would either be cornflakes or Frosties.
Or if she had toast previously, it would be white bread.
She says: “I ate more processed foods before, as well as frozen food.
“And I wouldn’t have had as much veg as I do now.
“Also in the evenings I would eat a massive bag of crisps, or a big bar of chocolate, a packet of biscuits or a packet of sweets.”
Weight loss and exercising
When Andrea started following the plan she says two or three stones came off quite quickly in a few months.
Then it slowed down to two or three pounds a week and over the last month or so she has been continuing to lose slowly and maintain her weight.
And as well as changing her diet, Andrea has been doing open-water swimming and has joined a gym.
Due to her weight loss, she revealed she achieved a major goal last summer.
“One of the big motivators for me was being able to go on holiday with my son and ride a camel,” she explains.
“I wanted to lose the weight to be able to fit on this camel.
“So I booked a holiday to Morocco in July with Ollie and we did it! We went on camels a couple of times!
“It was an amazing holiday. We did the sand buggies, go karts and the water slides.”
Andrea also took part in the Cancer Research Race for Life 5k event in Kirkcaldy this year.
“I ran the whole way. My son was doing it with me but I finished it before him which was quite funny.
“We also did a 10k around Edinburgh in September.”
Feeling fitter and inspiring others
Andrea, who now clocks in at 14 stone 8lbs, feels a lot fitter since she has shed the pounds.
But she is still aiming to lose a bit more in 2025.
“Even though I am fitting into size 14-16 clothes my BMI is still high.
“So I would like to get that down by losing another stone or two.
“But I feel really comfortable just now, I have a lot more energy and I am sleeping better.
“I can also walk faster and go up stairs without being out of puff.”
She adds: “My son, family and friends are all proud of me.
“And people at my work have lost weight.
“There is also a lady in my street who started going to Slimming World because she saw how well I was doing.
“It is nice to see I am inspiring others.”
Conversation