An 18-year-old student from Brentwood, Essex has become the Young Slimmer of 2020 after losing almost half of her weight.
Holly Bolton was told by Doctors she would need to take the help of bariatric surgery to lose weight.
But the young woman defied the Doctors and lost more than 8 stone after joining Slimming World with her mother in 2014. Holly has been struggling with weight issues since childhood, she even took the help of a dietitian when she was 11 and weighed around 15st.
Holly was suggested to go for the weight-loss operation as she was told she couldn’t lose such a larger amount of weight without the surgery. However, Holly did what she felt right as she adopted healthy eating habits and started exercising. She went from weighing 18st 5lbs aged 12 to 10st in six years.
Holly said: ‘Doctors noticed that my weight was becoming an issue and so I was referred to a dietitian. It wasn’t a nice experience at all – I had hospital appointments which I found really traumatic.’
‘At just 12 I was told that I wouldn’t be able to lose the weight without surgery, which is quite a lot to process at such a young age.
‘The warnings did nothing to spur me on to lose weight – they actually had the opposite effect because I felt so embarrassed and ashamed that I turned to food for comfort and gained even more weight. It came at a time when I was being badly bullied at school as well, so it was all just too much. I couldn’t see how I would ever lose weight.”
After getting a warning about going through weight-loss surgery, Holly’s mother came to know about Slimming World and the two joined it together.
‘Despite being just 12, I’d already tried lots of ways of losing weight – from calorie-controlled diets to soups and shakes. Of course, they never worked for me because they were too restrictive and I just couldn’t stick to them – it was never a lifestyle change,’ Holly said.
Holly adopted the Free2Go eating plan which is intended for young people, 11-15-year-olds. She found the plan quite easy and realized she could still eat a lot.
She said: ‘I always associated losing weight with not eating anything, so it came as a bit of a surprise when I realized I could still eat quite a lot while losing weight!’
‘My whole family were really supportive and enjoyed the same meals as me and Mum – family favorites like spaghetti Bolognese or homemade curry were still on the menu so it made it easy for everyone to get on board.’
She gathered the courage to join the gym and succeed in achieving her goal as she slimmed from 18st 5½lbs to 10st. ‘It helped me to learn about food and cooking too – I’m quite the chef now! I started going to the gym which is such a big thing for me – even having the confidence to walk into a gym is something I never could have done when I weighed 18st.’
Holly admitted she felt underconfident when she was too big in size but now she is free of all the worries. She said: ‘I remember being so down on myself because of my size and it’s like I’ve been freed of that now. Simple things like going clothes shopping used to be awful and I’d end up buying whatever I could in a size 24.’
‘Now I can experiment with different styles and swap clothes with my friends. I have clothes in a size 8 which still blows my mind a bit!’
She was not fond of exercising before as she was not fit enough to maintain it properly. ‘Before I lost weight I never used to do any physical activity because I was so unfit that I’d get out of breath after just a few minutes,’ she said. I really enjoy the feeling of challenging myself and feeling positive about my body and what it can achieve.’
Holly was skeptical of joining the gym as she was afraid of being judged because of her big size at such a young age. She praised the people of Slimming World who encouraged her to lose weight and called them her ‘second family.’
‘I was a bit apprehensive about joining Slimming World, too – I thought I would be judged for being overweight at such a young age and that nobody would take me seriously.’
‘The support I get from people of all ages is just amazing, they’re like a second family to me. Every week my Consultant and group helped me make changes, and identify my own triggers and danger zones, then make plans to overcome them. It was all so positive and encouraging – nothing like I’d ever tried before.’
After announcing Holly as the winner of Young Slimmer of the Year 2020, Slimming World has temporarily shelved due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Holly still attends her weekly group virtually as it keeps her motivated.
She added: ‘Although we can’t be together in person, I love seeing my Consultant and fellow members at my virtual group – it really helps to keep me motivated and on track. It’s a difficult time for everyone but as long as we’ve got the support of each other we’ll be OK.’
‘With so much going on in the world it’s easy to lose sight of your goals, or to have your routine disrupted, and being in group helps you focus on what you want to achieve.’
Holly is glad that she proved those people wrong who had a doubt on her losing weight without surgery. ‘I was due to sit my A-level exams next month but sadly that won’t happen now. I’m not going to let that hold me back though – I have big dreams and I can’t wait to fulfill them.’
‘Losing 8st has made me feel like I can achieve anything. I proved my doubters wrong and for the first time I feel like I have a bright future ahead of me – that’s an amazing feeling.’
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