Size 22 teenager who ate three McDonald’s a DAY reveals she had ‘body blindness’ and believed she was only a size 14
Chloe McGuinness didn't understand why her slim friends didn't want to lend her clothes
A woman was stunned to discover she had ballooned to a size 22 – because she was so convinced she was a size 14 she used to ask her friends to borrow their clothes.
Chloe McGuinness, 19, believes she was suffering from ‘body blindness’ because she had no idea how big she’d become.
She regularly begged her pals to let her wear their tight dresses and trousers, and she couldn’t understand why they would tactfully say no.
"I was a big comfort eater,” she explained.
"I used to work at McDonald’s and would have a five-piece chicken meal and cheeseburger in one sitting.
"I'd snack on anything I could get my hands on – crisps, chocolate and kebabs.”
Chloe was so big her knees and ankles became weak and she often felt exhausted.
The teenager had always been big and used to have her school uniform specially made.
She still didn’t realise she was that different from her friends though, even when they tried to encourage her to lose weight.
“I'd always thought I was the ugly duckling so didn't make much effort," she explained.
"I was used to people not looking at me and looking at everyone else.
"My friends and I went on holiday to Zante when I was 18.
"There's a picture of us all wearing white and I'm on the end.
"I look like I don't belong because they were all slender and with gorgeous tans and I was big and burnt.”
Chloe’s grandad died in July 2015, and it proved a turning point for her. She decided to focus on changing her lifestyle as a way to help her with her grief.
“I realised I was eating my feelings and I had to do something about it,” she said.
"When I stepped on the scales for the first time it gave me a real reality check.
"I couldn't believe I had let it get so bad – I weighed almost the same as my age.
"I realised I was a whale.”
Chloe joining Slimming World and lost a staggering 6lbs in her first week.
She ditched her junk food addiction in favour of stir fries, fruit, chicken and ham, and dropped another 5lbs by the end of her first month.
Now Chloe is a size 10 and weighs 11st 9lbs. Her life has completely transformed – and she’s finally able to wear the kind of clothes she always dreamed of.
“Now I feel really confident and wear clothes to accentuate my figure. I've seen my collarbones for the first time,” she said.
"I feel like a different person now. Before I didn't have any energy to go out.
"I have a boyfriend now. I wouldn't have had the confidence to meet him before.
"The funny thing is the first thing he said to me was that he loved my eyes – he didn't even care about my size.
"I had always thought I was The Duff – designated ugly fat friend – but now I know I'm not.”
