This woman says she was constantly dumped for being too ‘fat’ but since losing weight even strangers give her attention.
Office assistant Annie Stallings (19) from Florida, USA, had been overweight ever since she was just eight-years-old. She used to turn to food as a form of comfort – especially when her grandfather passed away in 2019. Annie would eat whatever she craved like high calorie deserts.
She was bullied at school for being fat
During school, she was constantly bullied for her size and she was known as the ‘fat’ friend. She recalls one time when the school were taking photos of the women’s tennis team for the yearbook, that she was placed at the beginning of the line due to her being captain of the team. However, she later found out that people were saying that they were lined up from fat to skinny.
Each time a relationship of hers ended, Annie was told that she was too ‘fat’ to hurt her feelings and any time she wanted to borrow some clothing from a friend, they would come back with something from their parents’ closet rather than their own. As this led her to feeling down about her body, Annie turned to food for comfort and the vicious cycle continued.
At 18-years-old, she inputted her 18-stone weight and five-foot-six-inches height into a BMI calculator which informed her that she was in the third stage of obesity – – the highest risk of obesity that can lead to serious health issues and even death. She was beyond shocked and realised that she had a problem which needed to be taken care of before her health was seriously affected with complications such as a heart attack and stroke.
She placed herself on a calorie deficit diet where she was eating less calories than what she was burning off. Annie took up cardio and high intensity workouts such as using the treadmill, jumping jacks and jump roping. Once she started her diet, she began losing at least three pounds a week and soon, she had lost over seven-stone in total, which made her feel empowered.
Annie found comfort in eating
Annie has gone from a UK dress size 24 to a UK dress size six and has lost eight-stone in total over the past 10 months. She began posting her weight loss journey online as she wanted people to hold her accountable if she defaulted on her progress. From this, she has received mostly positive comments from people congratulating her and is proud of her success where she now weighs 10-stone eight-pounds.
“I was bullied from grade school onwards. I was the ‘fat’ friend in any situation and the boys and girls in school made sure I knew that.
“I dealt with this by eating comfort food regularly and other times, I would try various diets and exercises but I would eventually give up
“My weight was brought up by family and friends for as long as I can remember. Some would comfort me and say I was just ‘thick’ whereas others would ask, ‘Do you really need to eat that?’ each time I ate.
Annie was the fat friend in any situation
“Medical professionals had mentioned my weight before, but in most cases it was just something they could place the blame on for whatever other issues I had – but I learned that some of the health issues I had experienced were not weight related at all.”
“I had lost fifty pounds in the past, but had gained it all back within a few months and I wanted this to be the last time I failed whilst on a weight loss journey,” Annie said.
“I’m still on my weight loss journey, but once I hit the one-hundred-pound lost mark, I felt really empowered and as if I had conquered one of my biggest challenges throughout life,” said Annie.
“In a calorie deficit diet, there are no specific foods to stay away from, but rather portion control on all food. I noticed that I ate more vegetables than before, as these would work to keep me full and hold less calories than crisps.
“I was tempted to binge eat sweet foods, as this was my biggest form of comfort, but I learned that a small Hershey’s kiss was as pleasurable than an entire chocolate bar and I was able to prevent myself from giving in by allowing myself the food I was craving, but in moderation.
“I did workouts that I found on YouTube and walked at an incline on the treadmill for an hour each day, as well as making sure to hit my ten-thousand steps per day.
“I think losing weight has changed my life, but from a more personal standpoint. Now, I meet the requirements for various law enforcement positions which is very important to me as it’s my career goal.
“I’m treated kinder by strangers and more people seem to notice me – I don’t feel invisible anymore which is very strange, as I’ve never had this before.
Also read: What’s your tummy type?
