By Liana Jacob
THIS MUM-of-two was so ashamed by her post-pregnancy body as revealed in a friend’s wedding photo that she forced herself to lose HALF her bodyweight in just TWELVE-MONTHS.
In 2011, after Danielle Cooper (30), from Berkshire, UK, fell pregnant with her first child, she put on three-stone then tipped the scales at 13st 9Ibs and a UK size 16-18 when she gave birth to her son in 2015.
When she came across a picture of herself at a friend’s wedding in 2016, Danielle realised just how big she had got, and this was the final straw. She decided to join Slimming World, and this helped her shrink to 8st 12Ibs and a UK size eight. Ten months ago, she discovered hula hooping, and this became her method for shedding weight.
Danielle’s weight is now below her target of 9st and she shares pictures of her newly slim figure with 31,000 of her Instagram followers.
“After the birth of my first child; nearly seven years ago I piled on roughly three-stone. Then I fell pregnant again gaining more weight,” Danielle said.
“I was not active in anyway what-so-ever; I got taxis everywhere I could barely walk up a few steps without losing my breath.
“When I had my two children especially my second I very quickly realised this, and it was heart breaking.
“I remember seeing a natural photo of me at a friend’s wedding completely caught off-guard and that’s when I realised how big I had got and that was the final straw.
“I joined Slimming World and I have since lost nearly five-stone. I take my kids out for walks while they ride their bikes and I run alongside and even race them.
“I’ve recently joined as a member at Nirvana Spa which is a huge deal for me because everyone walks around in their swimming costumes, which two years ago you’d never catch me doing.
“I started hula hooping about ten months ago, so I guess I was a good year into my journey. I wasn’t confident to join a gym or go to classes.
“I always felt people would stare or laugh at me, plus it was really difficult to find time to leave the house with two small children.
“So, I bought a hula hoop one day and gave it a go and fell in love with it. I could stand in front of the TV or whack on my favourite music and hoop away. Now I even have my very own thirty-day challenge that I share with others.”
Since she shed the weight, she feels more confident than she ever did, and her new physique has helped her raise her children.
Danielle, who works at a supermarket head office, says the hardest part was avoiding the temptation to give up when she didn’t quickly lose the weight.
“When I first started I lost two-stone really quickly and after that my weight loss slowed down and I gave up,” she said.
“I started to hit the cupboards again along with ordering takeaways and soon enough I put a stone back on.
“I had to face going back to the group and seeing on paper I had gained that weight and that was the kick I needed. I’ve never looked back since. It made me think ‘yes, we all have our bad days and that’s OK’.”
For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/danislimmingworld15/
To find your nearest Slimming World group, call 0344 897 8000 or log on to: www.slimmingworld.co.uk