Woman drops four dress sizes after changing her plates at mealtimes

A young woman who was spurred on to lose weight after she “didn’t recognise herself” in a picture has dropped an incredible four dress sizes by making a simple mealtime change.

Sophie Worsley, 22, has shed three-and-a-half stone since addressing the issue and now says she “feels absolutely amazing”.

The GP receptionist found using smaller plates helped control her portion sizes and soon saw the weight drop off.

The change also helped her reduce the amount of snacks, like crisps, she was eating.

Speaking to Manchester Evening News, the woman said she felt unhappy about her size for years and only had the motivation to fight the flab in January 2021. She saw a family photograph, and “didn’t recognise” herself.

“I thought, ‘I need to do something about it’, and that was the start of the journey,” Sophie, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, said.

“I started noticing when I lost around two stone that I had to get a new wardrobe.

“People at work, home and the group told me I looked really well.

“I used to have my tea on big plates and that was the thing, I needed to cut back. I would eat a packet of crisps and then have my tea and I always wanted more. I was never satisfied.

“I started having smaller portions on a normal plate, but then I thought I would use one of my little sister’s plates. It really helped cutting down on the portion sizes.”

Sophie quickly went from a size 18 to a size 12 after joining Beeweighed, a weight loss support group.

She was placed on a calorie-counting plan and also started Zumba classes, which she took part in twice a week.

Now, the young woman is delighted with her journey.

She said: “I feel absolutely amazing. I kept a few of my baggy clothes and I try them on every so often just so I can see how far I’ve come.

“I never had the confidence to even start thinking about [losing weight], I used to sit here and every time I’d think about it I’d put myself down. I was umming and ahing and I wasn’t sure if I could do it but I took a chance.

“When my mum took that picture, I was honestly disgusted. I didn’t recognise who I was anymore. I realised I needed to do this for me and not anyone else and try and block out thinking other people are judging me.”

The receptionist said she now tends to have a cereal bar and a cup of tea for breakfast, either a pasta pot or a salad for lunch and whatever she feels like for tea.

Having gone from weighing just over 14 stone to 11 stone, Sophie won ‘Slimmer of the Year’ at Beeweighed in December 2021 and now holds her own meetings within the group as a leader.

“I’m really proud of how far I’ve come,” she added. “When I won Slimmer of the Year, I cried. I genuinely didn’t think I would do it; I was just dead happy.”

Beeweighed owner Lynda Leadbetter, who holds meetings across Greater Manchester and parts of Cheshire, said: “Losing weight has massively boosted her confidence so much, since losing her 50lb she’s decided to train and become a Beeweighed leader and run her own meeting to help others feel as fab as she does.

“She’s a true inspiration and it has been a pleasure to help her on her weight loss journey.”