Cruel bullies told me to ‘go eat another sausage roll' – now I'm 17st lighter after ditching £400-a-month addiction
Her weight loss secret? Ditching a £400-a-month habit.
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Rachel Pashley weighed 30st 13lbs and was a size 32 at her heaviest.
It was during a family day out to a theme park that she made the heartbreaking realisation about the impact her weight was having on her life.
The 32-year-old wasn't able to take her two sons, Ethan, 13, and Jenson, 12, on a ride and had to watch them enjoy it without her.
Since that day, she's managed to shrink down to 12st and a size 12, and has been to Disneyland Paris, where she was able to go on any ride she wanted to.
Rachel, from Brighton, recalled: "We went to a theme park and I realised that I couldn't go on the ride, so my friend had to go on with my kids. It was sad.
'I couldn't walk up the stairs, and I was always too tired, so I'd take my kids to breakfast club and go back to bed.
'I couldn't run around after my children. We never went on bike rides, we never did anything.
'Now, we can do anything, bike rides, theme parks, days out in London, days at the gym and swimming.
'We've been to Disneyland Paris, and I didn't have to worry about getting on the rides. It was amazing.
'I was really depressed before and struggled with buying clothing, but I'm so much more confident now.
'The best part of this journey isn't the weight loss, it's getting my life back.
'I can finally be present for my boys, enjoy days out, and feel proud of the woman I've become."
Rachel spent £400 a month on takeaways and said she "used to eat rubbish all day and barely move".
She added: 'Someone once told me to go and eat another sausage roll.
'And online, I tried to do plus-sized fashion, and people would say I could barely breathe trying on clothes. It was horrible."
After having a £12,500 gastric bypass in May 2021, she now fuels her body with "real food" and moves every day.
Rachel said: "I finally feel like I'm living, not just existing."
Food for comfort
Rachel had always been 'curvy' and was a size 16 when Jenson was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma.
The semi-permanent make-up artist says the diagnosis was the 'turning point' as she turned to food for comfort.
Her expensive takeaway habit came as a result of not having enough time to cook or exercise due to hospital appointments.
Thankfully, Jenson has been in remission for 10 years.
Rachel said, 'That period was horrendous.
'It was 18 months' worth of treatment, sitting in a hospital room and massively comfort eating.
'He went into intensive care, and that was the turning point. 'I ate absolute crap.
'It was a family-sized chocolate bar every night on the way home from the hospital.
'I'd have a full English for breakfast, a meal deal from Co-Op, chocolate and a share bag of crisps for lunch.
'We had takeaways six days a week and I never cooked. If I did, it was freezer food.
'There were a lot of kebabs and Dominoes. The delivery driver knew us. 'Now, I'm really into nutrition and cooking.
'We haven't had a takeaway at all this year and we're really proud of ourselves.'
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Now, Rachel works out four times a week.
She forked out another £12,000 to have an arm and breast lift in January this year and plans to complete her look with a tummy tuck in September.
Rachel added: 'I remember the day when I was walking to the shop for some binge eating food because I'd had a really bad day and was at my heaviest, and I was crying my eyes out.
'I bumped into someone I used to work with, and she said she'd had weight loss surgery and it was the most amazing thing she'd ever done, so I went home and booked a consultation.
'When I was on the journey, I just wanted to get back to a size 16, but I kept going.
'I fit into a small skirt in Zara now, and it feels amazing because I never thought I'd get to this point."
Now, people can't believe how much Rachel has changed.
She said: 'In Aldi, I bumped into a girl I used to work with and said hello, and she completely blanked me.
'Then she messaged me asking if that was me, and she didn't recognise me.
'It feels amazing.'
Rachel is sharing her story to inspire others who are struggling with their weight.
She documents her weight loss journey on her social media page @racheljadepashley.
'I wanted to share my story because I know what it's like to feel completely lost in your body and stuck in a cycle that feels impossible to break. 'If someone out there sees this and realises change is possible, then that's everything.'
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