By Rebecca Drew
THIS BRITISH woman is convinced that her astonishing FOURTEEN-AND-A-HALF-STONE weight loss helped her to finally become a mum after suffering a heart-breaking EIGHT-MISCARRIAGES when she was bigger.
Cleaner and single mum, Catarina Merighi (30) from Penge, London, United Kingdom, says she was always chubbier than her friends as a child despite being an active kid. But when she was old enough to choose what she wanted to eat and go to the shops herself, her weight began to spiral out of control as she would choose to snack on crisps and chocolates.

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
Going into adulthood, Catarina grew to hate herself for her size and always thought that her friends and family looked better than she did. She knew the damage her unhealthy diet was doing to her but would still gorge on a box of 24 bags of crisps of an evening to comfort herself and never tried to exercise.
At 23st 10lb and a UK size 26, Catarina was also desperate to become a mum and sadly suffered eight heart-breaking miscarriages between September 2013 and June 2017. However, it wasnāt until she saw a picture of herself at a friendās barbeque that she decided to lose weight once and for all.

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
Catarina is now a super-svelte 9st 4lb and a UK size eight thanks to overhauling her diet to 1,300 to 1,500-calories of good carb, high protein and low saturated fat foods a day, and working out six to seven times a week.
She also realised her dream of becoming a mum, and has a one-year-old daughter, Rosabelle, something that Catarina doesnāt think would have been possible without losing weight.

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
āI was always a chubby kid. My mum was super healthy, and we walked everywhere but I had an extremely slow metabolism so always had that puppy fat,ā said Catarina.
āThen when I had the ability to go feed myself and buy my own stuff it spiralled.

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
āHonestly and truly, I hated myself, it wasnāt just about looking like my friends and family and looking better. It was about the fact that I knew the damage I was doing to myself.
āI knew the things I wanted to do and I realised that I was restricting my life and myself just to eat a twenty-four box of crisps.

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
āI remember the day I decided to lose weight once and for all, I had recently been to a friendās barbeque and of course pictures were taken. Now I had been in a long-term relationship and I had got into a rut of just eating and not going out.
āAnyway, I went out and the next morning looked at Facebook and I did not recognise the person Iād become. I mean Iād always been chubby from a child but this person in this picture wasnāt me and I knew I had to make a change.

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
āLosing weight has made me a totally different person. Itās built my confidence, made me happier and at least now I can run for the bus without feeling like Iām having a heart attack.
āMore importantly I miscarried eight times when I was bigger and it wasnāt until I lost all the weight I had my beautiful little girl, so honestly losing weight in my eyes helped me to become a mum.ā

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
When sheās out and about, people no longer recognise her and are surprised to see how much weight she has lost.
Finally confident in her own body, Catarina has been sharing her weight loss journey on Instagram and has set up her own personal training business to help others like her.

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
āNot falling off the plan was the most difficult thing about the weight loss and getting on with it when Iāve felt disheartened,ā said Catarina.
āIāve had many a moment I just gave up but then I looked at who I used to be and kept going.

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
āMost of the time people donāt recognise me and when they realise itās me they are just shocked.
āIāve heard it all from people asking, āwhere did you go?ā and saying, āKitty are you there?ā

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
āI am finally content and happy within my own skin.
āIf someone really doesnāt know where to start with weight loss, read up about different plans and think about how your body reacts to certain foods.

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
āIf you really need the assistance check out my page, KMweightlossandtraining on Instagram.ā

MDWfeatures / Catarina Merighi
For more information see www.instagram.com/kmweightlossandtraining