A mum who battled for three years to drop six stone the "hard way" admits she feels "bitter" watching others melt away the pounds in mere "few months" thanks to weight loss jabs. Bethany Wragg, 41, tipped the scales at 16st 4lbs and squeezed into a size 24 at her heaviest, feeling "embarrassed" after realising she was the "biggest mum in the playground".

The Sheffield hairdresser found shedding the weight a real struggle, but eventually slimmed down to 10st following three gruelling years on a Slimming World plan combined with regular cycling. Now fitting comfortably into a size 10, the mum is "proud" of her achievement, though she can't help feeling "bitter" that weight loss injections weren't available during her own journey.

Bethany explained: "I tried everything to lose weight, if it's out there, I've tried it five times over, but nothing worked. As I approached 40, I decided I wanted to do a big celebration and that I wanted to look and feel my best for it.

"I stuck to a Slimming World plan, and fell in love with bike-riding, going for 10-mile rides every weekend. I lost six stone over three years, and I feel like a completely different person.

"I can fit into short dresses I never had chance to wear in my 20s, and go to shops I've never been able to buy from before. But it wasn't a quick fix, unfortunately. I'm always supportive of anyone who loses weight, but I do feel a little bitter. Weight-loss jabs weren't really a thing a few years ago, and now I see people losing the same amount of weight in a few months as it took me three years.

"I absolutely would have tried them if they were available when I was at my biggest. It wasn't until summer 2024 that I started to notice them being advertised, and then I started getting asked if I'd taken them, and had to constantly defend how I'd lost weight."

Bethany explained she was an energetic and athletic youngster, but as the years went by, she ditched dancing and netball in favour of junk food and nights down the local, causing her weight to balloon. She recalled: "I used to be a competitive dancer, and I was really sporty at school as well, I was in the netball and rounders team.

"When I left home, I swapped extracurricular activities and healthy meals for takeaways three times a week, microwave burgers and drinking at the pub."

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Her earnings went straight on confectionery, crisps and fast food, and she grew increasingly self-conscious about her size at the school gates – cracking "fat jokes" at her own expense before anyone else could. Bethany remembered: "When my daughter started school, I realised I was the biggest out of all of the mums.

"Once my daughter turned to me in the playground and said in front of everyone her friend thought I was fat, I wanted the world to swallow me up. My lowest moment came when I went to a theme park with my daughter and had to have an extender belt put on so that I could fit on a ride."

Bethany avoided the scales, but her highest recorded weight was 16st 4lbs. In her battle against the bulge, she attempted "everything under the sun", from shake diets to low-carb plans and even enlisted a personal trainer.

However, she admitted that dieting repeatedly fell apart due to her lack of determination and "laziness". As she neared her 40s, Bethany's financial situation improved and her daughter grew more self-sufficient, freeing up time and energy for her to prioritise her wellbeing.

In January 2022, she rejoined her local Slimming World group for the fifth attempt, this time committing fully to the meal plans and weekly sessions. Out went the fry-ups and frozen pizzas, replaced by overnight oats and home-cooked chilli.

"Before my weight loss I would constantly be snacking. I was always secret eating, and have been known to buy chocolate as gifts for friends and family, and then eat it myself.

"I cut all of this out, and now cook from scratch, and snack on fruits and veggies. I began to look forward to the weekly weighing," she said. "The more my dress sizes went down, the better I felt."

Her 19 year old daughter has jumped on board too, and the pair now prepare nutritious meals together, keeping each other on track. Last year, Bethany and her other half invested in a camper van, and they now regularly tackle 10-mile bike rides at weekends, cycling around their neighbourhood three times weekly.

"I've absolutely fallen in love with bike-riding, and I go on long walks with my dog now as well, instead of using the car for the five-minute drive to the local park," she said.

Bethany's diet before her weight loss

Breakfast: Full English breakfast, pastries or chocolate and sweets.

Lunch: Loaded chips, pork sandwiches, crisps and fizzy drinks.

Dinner: Microwave burgers, frozen pizzas or takeaway.

Bethany's current diet

Breakfast: Overnight oats, Weetabix, berries.

Lunch: Leftover homemade chilli, pasta salad.

Dinner: Homemade burgers, roast dinner, homemade curry.