JUST over a year ago, Sarah Speight from Stalybridge was, by her own admission, at breaking point.
Weighing 25 stone and battling an addiction to food, she was the heaviest she has ever been and dreaded leaving the house.
Hating the thought of exercise and having unsuccessfully tried every diet going, Sarah’s confidence was completely shattered and her anxiety was through the roof.
Today, however, the 35-year-old couldn’t be further removed from her old self.
An incredible 11-and-a-half stone lighter and a lot happier, Sarah now attends as many as three Active Tameside exercise classes a day.
She’s been on a life-changing journey which she says feels fantastic, and credits her Active Tameside instructors for giving her motivation and support along the way.
In February last year, Sarah paid privately to undergo gastric bypass surgery – a procedure she had been considering for several years.
But she was warned that it would not offer a miracle cure to weight loss and that she would need to completely change her lifestyle.
Sarah, who works for the fraud team for an online bank, said: “I was addicted to food and, once I started eating, I couldn’t stop.
“I’d be making my tea but I’d already have been in the fridge and eaten enough for four people before I’d even had my tea. And then I’d still be hungry, eating chocolate and crisps afterwards.
“I’d had weight issues right from being young and it just got worse and worse as time went on.
“I was warned over and over again by the hospital that the surgery was only a tool and not a miracle cure like people think. It wasn’t going to do it for me, I had to work with it and keep at it and that it was going to take a lot of hard work and self-motivation for it to be successful.”
Sarah lost 10lb in the first week after her operation and, following a six-week recovery period, took her first tentative steps towards starting to exercise.
“I decided to join Active Tameside because my cousin is a member and went to Tameside Wellness Centre,” she explained.
“I forced myself to attend a class. I hung around in the doorway and I was such a nervous wreck, I just wanted to go home. I was completely out of my comfort zone.
“But I braved it and met some wonderful people who wanted to help me and were so supportive. I enjoyed it so much I began booking into more classes and using different centres.
“Now I do two to three classes every day and absolutely love it. I never, ever thought I’d say that.”
Sarah says she feels like a completely different person and her family can’t believe the difference in her.
“They say I’ve gone from sitting in my room on my own, not seeing anybody or doing anything, to never being at home.
“My second home is the gym and I’ve got this new lease of life and this new burst of confidence. I’m nowhere near as anxious and I actually enjoy going. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done but the best thing I’ve ever done.”
One of Sarah’s inspirational Active Tameside class instructors says it’s been “absolutely amazing” to see her achieve “astonishing results”.
Paul Yarwood added: “It’s such a pleasure to see her positive mental attitude and, despite being somewhat nervous initially, she has applied herself with astonishing determination.
“Her story is an inspiration to others who might feel they cannot succeed.”