A teacher who tipped the scales at 33 stone after indulging in pizza for dessert and was turned away from a helicopter ride has lost more than half her body weight.
Self confessed food addict Nicola Mercer, 49, began gaining weight after meeting her partner as a teenager, which led to her relaxing her eating habits and indulging in unhealthy foods. She treated herself to takeaways up to five times a week and regularly snacked on sugary treats like crisps, biscuits, and cakes.
Eventually, her weight gain became so severe she couldn't fit into UK clothing sizes and had to order specially made items from the US. Her size also prevented her from enjoying activities like riding rollercoasters and required her to ask for seatbelt extenders on planes. On one memorable incident when her husband surprised her with a helicopter ride for her birthday, the pilot wouldn't let her board because she was too heavy for the aircraft.
(Nicola Mercer)
Nicola got down to 13 stone (Nicola Mercer)She told Manchester Evening News: "I used to put up a shield to everyone, I sort of didn't let it get to me. Then I would go home and eat more and more because I was depressed. I would smile and laugh with everyone, then I'd get home and be upset.
"I was in my comfort zone [with eating]. I had been with my partner since I was 18. I wasn't in the honeymoon period anymore where you relax and eat all sorts. I would eat tea then get a pizza after. [My weight] was straining my back, my knees used to hurt."
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Before long, Nicola's weight started to seriously affect her health, causing back and joint pain. She sought advice from her doctor who suggested a gastric bypass, a type of weight loss surgery that reduces the size of the stomach. In 2016, Nicola had the operation and watched as she began to lose weight.
Nicola looked like a completely different person, fitting into size 12 clothes. Despite her successful surgery, the teacher struggled to maintain her new lifestyle and her weight started to increase again. By September 2023, Nicola's weight had risen to about 17 stone, leading her to seek professional help.
Nicola got to 33 stone (Nicola Mercer)She joined Beeweighed, a weight loss group based in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, which also offers national Zoom sessions. With the help of owner Lynda Leadbetter, Nicola started to lose weight again. Nicola now leads her own Beeweighed classes and holds sessions in Jubilee Hall in Knutsford every Tuesday at 5.30pm.
She added: "I just had the gastric bypass operation and there was no physiological therapy or anything afterwards. Lynda taught me everything about nutrition, calories and diets because not everyone's body is the same.
"I'm quite passionate and I've decided to become a Beeweighed leader myself and help people coming to my class who are in the same situation as me. I'm so passionate now that I want to help others. I feel great and that's why I have my own class. I want to pass on my learning to others if they're in the same situation as me. There are other things that factor into dieting."
"People should reach out for support and not be ashamed or embarrassed. Overeating is an illness but it's not classed as an illness. Like smoking and being a drug addict, I believe being a food addict is an illness."
Lynda Leadbetter, owner of Beeweighed, said: "Nic is a wonderful lady who is a great inspiration, motivating other members with her success. She now leads her own Beeweighed meeting, and her transformation is remarkable. She has shed so much weight it's as if she has lost an entire person. I'm incredibly proud of her."
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