After two miscarriages I gave up comfort food and lost nine stone to fulfil my dream of becoming a mum
WHEN a doctor agreed her obesity was likely a factor in her recent miscarriage, Lori-Jay Clark hit rock bottom.
All the 28-year-old teaching assistant had dreamed of was becoming a mum — and it was the second baby she had lost in the space of four years.
She says: “In that instant I knew enough was enough.
“I was emotionally drained, tired of blaming myself for being obese but not doing anything about it.
“The ultimate goal in life for my husband Jimmy and I was to be parents, but I was so unhealthy I knew I couldn’t bring a child into the world, mentally or physically. I had to change my ways.”
And she did, shedding 9st to go from 20st and a size 22 to 11st and a size 10.
Lori-Jay, from Hundon, Suffolk, says: “Food ruled my life. I’d have takeaways four times a week, and order things like a pizza plus a chicken burger, eating till I felt sick.
“Deep down, I was furious at myself for sabotaging my chances of being a mum, but I just couldn’t stop.”
Obesity during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and comes with a one in five chance of losing the baby before 12 weeks.
Lori-Jay’s overeating began when she was a child, and by age 14 she was 12st and size 14.
'IT MADE ME FEEL WORTHLESS'
She says: “I was picked on at school. The boys would say, ‘Don’t sit on that, you’ll break it’, and call me fat.
“It made me feel worthless, and I turned to food for comfort.”
In 2012, Lori-Jay met Jimmy, 30, a bricklayer, at a nightclub.
She says: “He wasn’t bothered about my weight and would tell me I was beautiful.
Lori-Jay's diet
Lori- Jay's diet before:
BREAKFAST: 4 slices of toast
LUNCH: Sandwiches, toast
DINNER: Takeaway, pizzas, burgers or ready meals
SNACKS: Biscuits, choc
Lori- Jay's diet now:
BREAKFAST: Fruit & yoghurt
LUNCH: Tuna salad
DINNER: Fakeaways — homemade KFC or burger & chips
SNACKS: Quiche, gherkins
“But despite being in love and happy with Jimmy, I still couldn’t stop overeating.
“We’d spend around £100 a week on takeaways, and get through a load of chocolate and crisps while cuddled up on the sofa watching TV.”
The couple then started to try for the baby they dreamed of.
Lori-Jay says: “When I discovered I was pregnant in May 2016, the feeling was out of this world, I was so happy.
“But a few days after I did the pregnancy test, I started bleeding.
“I was rushed to hospital, where scans revealed I had an ectopic pregnancy — a fertilised egg had implanted in one of my fallopian tubes.
“I needed an operation to urgently remove the egg and tube, which doctors explained could make it harder for me to conceive in future.”
Following that shock, the couple took a break from trying for a baby. But when they married the following year, they decided to try again.
'I WAS HEARTBROKEN'
In March 2018 though, Lori-Jay suffered a miscarriage at around eight weeks.
She says: “I was heartbroken. We’d got so close to having our dream baby, only for the dream to be taken away from us.”
Again, Lori-Jay turned to food for comfort.
“I’d eat till I felt sick, then the guilt and shame would set in,” she says. “It was a vicious cycle and I lost all confidence in myself.
“I’d make excuses to avoid friends, and hide in the street if I saw someone I knew.”
The following April, Lori-Jay had another miscarriage at around eight weeks. She says: “Deep down, I always blamed myself.
“And after going for a check-up, the doctor agreed that I needed to lose weight to be in the best position to carry a baby full-term. That was the wake-up call.”
So, in June 2019, Lori-Jay joined a Slimming World group with Jimmy, who by then also weighed 20st.
'SO EXCITED'
“In the first week I lost 13.5lb, which spurred me on,” she says.
“We swapped fast food for home-cooked fakeaways and salads and I started attending circuit training classes four times a week.”
Lori-Jay now weighs 11st, while Jimmy has dropped to 16st, and doctors have told the couple they have a much better chance of becoming parents.
She says: “When I saw that I got to my target weight, I cried. I’m so excited for the future.
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“Just getting up in the morning was a struggle before because I’d feel sluggish.
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“Now I have so much energy. Jimmy and I are so excited to start trying for a baby again.
“I feel like at last our dream of becoming parents is within our grasp.”
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