'I lost 17 stone when I stopped eating 12 packets of crisps a day'

A Yorkshire mother lost 17 stone when she ditched her 12-packet of crisps a day habit so she could run around with her daughter.

Sarah Clarke, 35, weighed 31st 6lbs and was a size 32 at her heaviest after using food to cope with her trauma. She would eat large kebabs, chocolate and get through a multi-pack of 12 crisps in a day.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The mother-of-one had a wake up call after being diagnosed with sleep apnoea and being unable to run around with her daughter, 11.

She lost 3st 13lbs through Slimming World before having a gastric sleeve on the NHS and lost 17stone 5lbs in two years and a half.

Now a healthy, 14st 1lbs and size 16, Sarah has switched up her diet to healthy home cooked meals but still struggles with a stone of excess skin she has been left with.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She has been denied skin surgery on the NHS and is trying to raise £10,000 to undergo the operation and remove the "scars of my old life".

Sarah, who runs a mental health peer support group, from Leeds, said: "I feel I am a women with great perseverance and drive. I feel it's created a strength within me. I am beautiful. I am confident. A lot of people say I radiate joy.

"I'm feeling more free. I finally broke the cycle of obesity."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sarah suffered a lot of trauma over the last ten years, including becoming homeless in 2021, and turned to food to cope.

She said: "Food has been a massive comfort. It became an addiction. Food became my therapy when it actually abused me. I'd have a 12 bag of crisps a day. I got kebabs all the time. A large donor kebab with cheesy chips.

"I was greedy. I was eating that much I felt sick and I used to sweat."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
Sarah Clarke before and after her weight lossSarah Clarke before and after her weight loss
Sarah Clarke before and after her weight loss | Sarah Clarke / SWNS

Sarah also struggled with her health conditions - fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue - and was also diagnosed with sleep apnoea. She was motivated to change after realising she didn't want to "die like this" and so she could be a better mum to her daughter, 11.

Sarah said: "My daughter has so much energy. I remember going to the park and barley making it up the hill. I was so tired I couldn't give any energy to her. It made me feel sad.

"I watched other mums in shorts batting with their kids. I thought I wish I could do that. I told myself - 'do you want to die like this?' I've got so much to live for."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sarah joined Slimming World in January 2022 and lost 3st 13lbs naturally before getting a call offering her a gastric sleeve. She had her operation in June 2022 and has dropped down to 14st 1lb over the last two years.

Sarah switched up her diet and now eats meals she cooks from scratch such as curries and stir fry.

She still struggled to adjust to her new small frame, but was supported by her Slimming World consultant.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She said: "I was learning how to live with a new stomach but an old mindset. I had to make a conscious decision everyday to choose me. My mind was still looking at 31st me."

Sarah now no longer has sleep apnoea and she is able to tie her shoes and get out of bed without rolling. She now goes to the gym with a personal trainer and walks.

She said: "My feet used to swell up. I was in pain constantly all the time. I could barley get off the sofa."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sarah is proud of her journey but still struggles with her lose skin - and has been denied the operation on the NHS three times. She has been told she needs to get to 11 or 12st before she can be reconsidered again.

Sarah said: "It's still preventing me from doing the stuff I'd like to do with my daughter - like swimming. I can't wear a sleeveless dress. The scars of my old life are haunting me."

Sarah is fundraising to be able to pay for her skin removal surgery. Donate here.

Weight before: 31st 6lbs

Size before: 23

Weight after: 14st 1lbs

Size after: 14/16

Diet before -

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Breakfast: Four slices of toast and butter or two bowls of cereal

Lunch: Chips, cheese and gravy

Dinner: Takeaway - a chinese or kebab

Snacks: Crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks

Diet after -

Breakfast: Scrambled egg with mushroom/ bacon (with no fat)

Lunch: Carrots and hummus

Dinner: Stir fry with chicken or beef

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.