Obese mum loses 10 stone after her son drew her as a BLOB in a family picture at school
Meryem Davies signed up to Slimming World the day after her son drew her as a blob at school
AN OBESE mum-of-four who weighed a whopping 20 stone has lost half her body weight after her son drew her as a BLOB at school.
Meryem Davies, 37, from Pontypridd, South Wales, was shamed into losing 10st and is now a trim size 10 thanks to her four-year-old son Thomas’ brutal honesty.
In 2014, Thomas proudly showed off a picture he’d drawn at school - a family portrait with all members depicted as stick figures – except for his mum, who he’d drawn as a round squiggle.
“The picture of me was a blob!" recalled Meryem. “It was the wake-up call I needed and I finally realised how my children saw me.
“I was eating myself into an early grave and I refused to let my kids be ashamed of their mum.”
The next day, Meryem signed up for Slimming World where she attended weekly meetings and weigh-ins.
Meryem, who is also mum to Daniel, eight, and 15-year-old twins Jessica and Lauren, said: “My children called me 'fat' because they couldn’t fit their arms around me when giving me hugs.
“It was upsetting but the drawing was the final straw and I finally realised how my children saw me.
“My cheeks flushed red with embarrassment when I saw it but I didn’t have the heart to tell Thomas that his drawing upset me."
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Meryem has struggled with her weight since she was a teenager and, at 23 years old, she weighed 14st and wore a size 18 when she met husband Leigh, now 47, a driving instructor.
Meryem, who stands at just 5ft 3in, said: “Deep down, I was extremely embarrassed at my size – in fact, I was miserable.
“Feeble attempts at faddy diets over the years never worked - I’d lose some weight then fall off the wagon again.”
Every morning, Meryem would polish off a huge bowl of sugary cereal with three slices of thick toast slathered with salty butter.
Family dinners were cooked with jars of unhealthy ready-made sauce followed by calorific desserts.
As Meryem’s love for food grew, so did her weight and soon husband Leigh became concerned about her size.
And her children were even beginning to notice Meryem’s larger-than-life size.
Meryem said: “Thomas and Daniel would try to hug me but their arms wouldn’t fit around my belly.”
Now, she's swapped her fatty feasts for homemade healthy stews and stir fries.
She said: "The weight dropped off me and, in 11 months, I lost 5st. Watching my waist shrink was incredible.”
Earlier this year, Meryem had shed a whopping 10st – losing half her body weight.
“Buying size 10 clothes for the first time in decades was an incredible feeling," She said.
She added: “Even though I’m at my target weight, I still attend my weekly Slimming World meetings.
“Now I’m a yummy mummy and I’m bursting with energy. Best of all my sons can wrap their arms around me for a hug – something they’d never been able to do before.
“And it’s all thanks to my children’s brutal honesty. I’ll never take my health and body for granted ever again.”