Latest news with #MiahCarter
Metro
2 days ago
- Health
- Metro
I've tried all sorts to lose weight - but my latest attempt is my most extreme
Miah Carter was just 10 years old when she was put on a waiting list for gastric surgery. The schoolgirl had struggled with emotional eating and a hormone imbalance from an early age, both of which had left her clinically obese. 'I was one of the first ten-year-olds on the waitlist for gastric surgery for severe obesity,' the 22 year old content creator from Reading, Berkshire, tells Metro. ' I was referred to King's College Hospital in London and had regular appointments – however, in the end, my family and I decided not to push it due to the severity of the operation.' Miah's decade-long battle to be at peace with her body – which she says is due to health concerns rather than body image – has seen her explore a rollercoaster of weightloss methods, from fad diets to supplements, and even a spell using semaglutide injections, which left her feeling like she was having a heart attack. 'I tried every diet you can think of from Slim Fast to Weight Watchers. I've bought fat metabolisers and weightloss pills, and even saw private dieticians in London,' she explains. 'We went back and forth with different approaches, but nothing helped. Being autistic, I don't absorb information the same way as others, so found it really hard to retain what the dietitians were telling me. Sticking to routines is also tough for me – that's part of why it didn't work. 'I did a lot of emotional eating – food gave me comfort and made me happy,' Miah adds. 'Because of the size of my stomach, I could eat and eat. My hormones also played a big role. I'd eat until I was full – or even sick – and 10 minutes later, I'd feel empty again. I'd keep eating until it became physically painful.' By 16, Miah's weight was spiralling and she was desperate for a solution. 'I remember going into the chemist to buy weight-loss tablets – the kind advertised on TV. I can't recall the exact name, but they didn't do anything,' she says. As years went by, she went on to make a name for herself as a body positivity influencer, calling herself 'your self love big sister', with posts reminding her followers about the importance of self-acceptance, while also being honest about her own struggles with her weight and body image. As Miah continued to search for new ways to lose weight, she began to read about jabs, such as Mounjaro and Ozempic, that were originally created to treat diabetes. Scrolling through Facebook groups, looking at miraculous before and after images, she began to feel hopeful. 'I was heavily influenced by people online who were taking it and seeing results,' Miah remembers. 'I thought 'this is the solution – I'm finally going to lose weight and change my life'.' So she decided to try them. 24 hours after filling in an online form for the Saxenda injection, Miah went to a high street chemist to collect it. There, staff checked her eligibility and she was assessed by a doctor, then handed the drug, which she was told to inject daily and expect her appetite to reduce. 'I was quite gobsmacked at how simple it was,' she adds, pointing out that the chemist didn't offer any follow-up support. With high hopes, Miah started her injections, however, like many who take weight loss jabs, she began to suffer from side effects. 'I had really bad pain in my heart and started to feel sick, like something wasn't right in my body. I felt so run down and it was just horrible,' she remembers. Miah says that her heart would sometimes race so fast it felt like it was going to explode out of her chest. 'It would hit me out of nowhere, sometimes multiple times a day and each episode lasted minutes – but felt like hours. 'I'd be lying in bed or just standing in the kitchen and suddenly feel dizzy, short of breath, and completely overwhelmed. There were moments I genuinely thought I was having a heart attack. 'After a really severe episode, my first thought was, 'I bet it was the weight loss injections'. I had only been on them for a few weeks – less than a month -soI decided to stop. A few weeks after that, I was completely fine.' After coming off the jabs, Miah realised it was time once again to reassess her weight loss plan. This time, she finally made the bold decision to have gastric surgery last October – more than a decade after she had been put on the waiting list as a child. 'This was the biggest operation I've ever had – there is no going back,' she admits. 'You're essentially having part of your body removed and I now only have about 20% of my stomach left. It's a huge decision – but knowing what I know now, I should have done it earlier, as it's changed my life.' Miah has documented her weight loss journey to her to her 3 million followers, including the surgery – which has seen her lose 11stone since getting the gastric sleeve. However some people have hit back at her decision to get surgery, deeming it contradictory to body positivity. Miah disagrees: 'I did it for my health, not to change how I look. I was 32 stone and nearly on my deathbed at 20. My legs were hanging and I was struggling to walk. It was a massive decision, but one of the best I've made in my life. 'Every day, every hour, every minute I get hateful comments, but I don't care. I want people to see what I go through. Those sorts of comments used to hurt, but they don't touch me anymore. Now I just think – you're pushing up my views and paying my bills.' While the injections may have had an adverse effect on her health, Miah knows that they may work well for others. 'I'm not judging anyone or telling anyone not to take it—everyone's journey is different. If it works for you and improves your quality of life, I respect that.' More Trending 'But for me, it wasn't the right solution because when it comes to weight loss – there isn't one size fits all.' In a statement to Metro, Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Saxenda wrote: 'At Novo Nordisk patient safety always comes first. An increased heart rate (tachycardia) is a known uncommon adverse reaction for Saxenda (liraglutide) and is listed in the medicine's official information. If a patient experiences a sustained and clinically relevant rise in their resting heart rate, it is recommended they contact their healthcare professional. Any decision to start, stop, continue or change treatment should be together with a healthcare professional, based on their professional judgment of what's right for that individual. View More » If you are taking any medication and believe you might be experiencing a side effect, please speak to your healthcare provider and report it through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. MORE: 'I used a fake profile to hunt my aunt's murderer' MORE: Vogue has started using AI models — what does it mean for beauty standards? MORE: Chloe Ayling: 'I can't believe I'm still talking about being kidnapped eight years later' Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
The Sun
09-06-2025
- The Sun
I am UK's most-trolled influencer, mums tell me to kill myself & say I'm too fat to live – I attempted suicide over it
AS SHE uploads her latest makeup tutorial Miah Carter, braces herself as streams of comments come flooding in. Of the thousands of messages the 22-year-old will receive, she knows at least half will be from vile trolls branding the 22 stone influencer 'disgusting' and even telling her to kill herself. 7 These messages - coming in by the dozen - are horrific. But sadly for Miah this is not a one-off. 'I must be one of the most trolled influencers in Britain,' she tells us. 'The hate almost broke me, but I am determined not to let it get to me. 'I am subjected to a new 'toxic high' of brutal 'troll targeting' every day. No one should have to live with this.' Miah says there seems to be no consistency to her trolls who she says range from just six to people in their 40s. 'I have had primary school aged children and mothers tell me to kill myself,' she says. 'It got so bad I tried three times to take my own life. If it hadn't been for my partner and mental health professionals, I would be dead. 'More must be done to protect people like myself online.' Bullied on council estate Miah lives in Reading, Berks with her boyfriend of eight years, Marley 23, a bricklayer. She grew up watching other people's lives on social media and found it an 'escape'. Trolls tell me I'm 'punching' with my hot husband & constantly ask why he's with me, but size isn't everything 'Like most people my age I have been active on social media since I was a child,' she says. 'I grew up in a council house on a rough estate and was bullied for being overweight. 'I was a big child, my dad is bodybuilder and big-boned, I was always plus size. 'I was wearing women's clothing in primary school. I was mixed race and hated for being overweight, obese and different. 'School bullies loved trying to physically assault me or verbally attack me. 'Watching other people's lives on social media was an escape.' Miah left school at 16 and studied acting at college before starting work on the makeup counter at a local Boots store. 7 7 'I was a size 24 and weighed 22st,' she says. 'I am good at doing makeup and good at selling the best makeup products for a person's skin.' Miah admits she was determined to make it as a social media influencer and in March 2020 at the start of lockdown began posting makeup tutorials on TikTok. 'I quit my job and gambled it all on social media success,' she says. It wasn't until September 2020 when Miah shared a post of herself crying about being unhappy with her weight, she went viral for the first time. 'I posted a video with no makeup, crying and upset about my size, weight and looks,' she explains. 'I didn't expect it to get a reaction and was shocked when it did.' Within 24 hours Miah had gained 10,000 followers and within a week she had another 50,000 fans. 'People praised my honesty and realness which is a rarity online,' she says. 'But there was an element of people wanting to see other people suffer and fix what was upsetting them.' The increased interest in her account prompted Miah, who at the time was a size 24-26 and weighed 22 stone, with a BMI of 50.5 to focus on losing weight and sharing that journey with fans. 'I used the TikTok fashion challenge to lose weight which is targeting your weight loss to fit into a favourite pair of jeans or dress you were too big for,' she says. Imagine being trolled by mums and kids in primary school. It was soul destroying Miah Carter 'I ate healthy lean meats and fruit and vegetables.' Miah posted updates on her weight loss, shared her thoughts, her ups and downs and fan favourite makeup tutorials. 'I was very honest, and my followers applauded that and with their support I lost four stone,' she says. When she reached 18st Miah admits she was hit by the realisation that she wasn't being authentic to her body type. 'I decided to be what I wanted to be and post about plus size positivity,' she explains. 'I could spend all my life trying to be the 'super thin' girl and hate myself or be the 'Miah girl.' 'That year I chose to be the 'Miah girl.'' When Miah hit 200,000 followers in January 2022, the trolling increased dramatically. 'I'd post a video and within 24 hours the trolls had gathered,' she says. 'I was told to kill myself and that I was so fat I didn't deserve to live. 'A six-year-old told me to kill myself. It started a rapid decline in my mental health.' Miah also lives with a skin condition known as Acanthosis Nigricans which causes her skin pigmentation to darken around her mouth and neck and found herself targeted for her suffering. She explains: 'The haters attacked my skin condition. I was told I was dirty and 'needed to wash.' 'I was told I was 'disgusting,' a 'waste of space' and a' bad example'. 'I was even targeted with racist abuse, the haters had no limits to how much vitriol they spewed at me.' Miah says many of the trolls were women and even mothers. 'Imagine being trolled by mums and kids in primary school. It was soul destroying,' she says. Within months Miah explains she had tried to take her life on three separate occasions. She admits: 'I was broken by the hate. I was just trying to share my life and be positive.' With the help of mental health professionals the 22 year old slowly recovered. WHAT IS THE UK LAW ON TROLLING? Trolls love to use public platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to sew the seeds of abuse. If you're getting horrible messages to your private inbox that's not trolling, it's bullying. Online bullying has grown by 88 per cent in just five years, with thousands of children and teenagers being targeted. But just because you have a Twitter account, doesn't mean you should have to put up with it. In October 2016, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) introduced new laws that could see those who create 'derogatory hashtags' or post 'humiliating' Photoshopped images JAILED. Inciting people to harass others online, known as virtual mobbing, is among the offences included in the guidance. Baiting – when someone is humiliated online by being branded sexually promiscuous – is also mentioned in the guidance. The CPS also announced the launch of a hate crime consultation, issuing a series of public policy statements centred on combating crimes against disabled people, as well as racial, religious, homophobic and transphobic hate crime. Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said: 'Social media can be used to educate, entertain and enlighten, but there are also people who use it to bully, intimidate and harass. 'Ignorance is not a defence and perceived anonymity is not an escape. Those who commit these acts, or encourage others to do the same, can and will be prosecuted.' Some people worry that the new guidelines on social media pose a threat to freedom of speech. But Miah credits her boyfriend, Marley who she met when she was 15, with being the inspiration she needed to live again. 'We were sitting on a bus one day and I was crying looking at the comments,' she says. 'He told me to ignore those people and to 'live my dream.' He was right. 'It was life changing.' Miah has had 'live my dream' tattooed on her arm and said that show of love from Marley was what she needed to stand up to haters. 'I used to spend hours deleting trolling comments,' she says. 'Often, I couldn't keep up with the hate. I'd delete one comment and another would pop up. 'Instead, I decided to ignore the trolls. To let the comments stay. I was not going to validate the haters by spending my time deleting what that'd written.' Miah also realised trolls actually helped her to earn money. She says: 'It's a weird situation. The more people who watch your videos the more you earn. 'If you are trolled the social media algorithms notice the 'peaked interest' and feed more potential followers and yes potential haters to you. 'I realise the haters' hate, was actually in a weird way, paying off.' A study by Avast, an international consumer brand trends company discovered trolling is on the rise. In Britain almost two-thirds of 16–24-year-olds or a staggering 64% admitted they have trolled someone else online. While studies found that impacted up to 5% of British internet users who found themselves victims of cyber bullying A 2017 Ofcom study reported that 1% of UK internet users experienced online trolling with that number increasing to 5% among Gen Z or 16-24 year olds. While in the year ending March 2023, more than 847,000 children aged 10 to 15 in England and Wales had experienced online bullying behaviors Miah, a Gen Z member, reported the hate she experienced to social media website companies but admits there is very little they could do. 'There are no universal global laws against hate or hate crimes which trolling is,' she says. 'People use fake profiles or nameless profiles. I found many people who used established platforms, but a reprimand doesn't stop their 'free speech.' In February 2025 Ofcom launched new draft guidance aimed at improving the experience of women and girls online. Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom's chief executive, aims to produce a "proper blueprint" for protecting women and girls online if tech first adopts it. 'I have shared my online bullying with a tech firm, but they could do nothing,' Miah says. 'The draft could work but only with international support and tough penalties. 'It's commendable but my experience shows without global agreement nothing will change. 'There is nothing the police can do, and we need to. 'That doesn't mean trolling is OK or acceptable, 'It means people like me have to endure a terrible toxic level of hate which increases daily.' Miah now has more than 3.3million followers on TikTok alone and has amassed 123.3 million in likes. The 22-year-old admits her success has been life changing saying it has allowed her to treat herself and her partner to holidays and herself to designer goods. In October 2024 Miah revealed she was to undergo a gastric sleeve surgery free on the NHS. 'I had put on weight and crept up to 32st,' she says. 'I was working hard and dealing with the hate made me comfort eat. "I had let the abuse have a physical side effect of trolling. "It undid all the work I had done losing weight when I first started on social media.' Miah underwent the NHS procedure at Kings College in London in October last year. 'I shared everything on social media and even though I was losing weight the haters have continued to attack me. Miah now weighs 22 stone and is a size 18-20. 'I feel healthier, happier, and re-inspired,' she says. 'Every day I get messages from fans all over the world. They thank me for having the guts to put myself out there on social media. 'I get praised for my confidence, my makeup looks, and my positive approach to life.' The 22-year-old now boasts deals with Charlotte Tilbury, Lancome and Maybelline and refuses to let the haters hate. 'You have to create your own tribe and be loyal to it,' she explains. 'The trolls, the haters, the so-called keyboard warriors are white noise. They are little people with little ideas. 'I may be one of the most trolled women in Britain; however, I know it has made me stronger, tougher, and more determined to stand up for people who cannot stand up for themselves.' If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123. 7 7 You're Not Alone EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM, 0800 585 858 Heads Together, HUMEN Mind, 0300 123 3393 Papyrus, 0800 068 41 41 Samaritans, 116 123
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'I get trolled every day': Ofcom vows to protect women from online hate
Looking through the comments on her social media posts can be an emotional rollercoaster for Miah Carter. The 21-year-old influencer posts makeup, body positivity and lip-sync content for her 3.3m followers on TikTok, but says her success online comes with constant abuse. Speaking to Radio 5 Live, Miah says she receives abusive comments "every second, every day… the trolling I get is disgusting". Miah is sharing her experience as Ofcom releases new draft guidance aiming to improve the experience of women and girls online. Messages left under Miah's posts include comments encouraging her to take her own life, and personal attacks on her appearance. "When I first started social media, my following came really quickly," she said. "With that, the hate [comments] came coming in. "Back then, I didn't understand it. I didn't know how to deal with my emotions. It really affected my mental health and I had suicidal thoughts. "Now I've learned to ignore the comments and if I can be bothered, I delete them." Chief executive of Ofcom, Dame Melanie Dawes, has said the draft guidelines issued on Tuesday, will, if tech firms adopt them, be a "proper blueprint" for protecting women and girls online. The broadcasting watchdog's draft guidance ranges from measures to tackle online misogyny and domestic abuse, to pile-ons and intimate image abuse. Ofcom has previously issued guidance to tech firms around protections for children online and on dealing with illegal online content. Speaking to Radio 5 Live, Dame Melanie said the organisation would "absolutely" name and shame companies who didn't comply with their guidance, so the public would know which companies were "not taking [user's safety] seriously". The regulator wants sites and apps to adopt these measures voluntarily in what they call "a safety by design approach". For example, they could adopt "abusability" testing to identify how a service or feature could be exploited by a malicious user. Rules in the Online Safety Act, due to come into force this year, will compel social media firms to show that they are removing illegal content - such as child sexual abuse, material inciting violence and posts promoting or facilitating suicide. The law also says companies have to protect children from harmful material including pornography. Content creator Harriet Maynard has also experienced abusive comments, which sometimes escalate into pile-ons - where a large number of people harass a person online. Her Instagram posts are aimed at a female audience and relate to issues around parenthood and lifestyle content. Despite having mainly female followers, when a video of Harriet's goes viral, she says she receives "an influx of negative messages, primarily from men". "I normally don't let it bother me, but when you get a wave of online abuse, it can get you down. "In a 'normal' workplace, if you were being bullied or harassed, then there'd be an HR department to deal with it accordingly. But for us making content online for a living, there's nothing like that." Nicole Jacobs, domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, welcomes the draft guidance. "I'm pleased that Ofcom are stepping up to start the process of providing guidance to tech companies to tackle this," she said. "It's now on these firms to implement these recommendations and ensure that perpetrators can no longer weaponise online platforms for harm. "By taking meaningful practical action, not only will people be safer online, but it will demonstrate that tech companies are ready to play their part in tackling domestic abuse." Prof Clare McGlynn, an expert in sexual violence, online abuse and the legal regulation of pornography, says she feels the guidance, which has no legal force, will struggle to make meaningful change. "Experience shows that tech platforms do the absolute minimum necessary to comply with the law and little more. In the current climate, this is unlikely to change," she said. "We urgently need to do more by strengthening regulation, making many of these recommendations legally binding. A dedicated Online Safety Commission which prioritises online harms would be a positive next step. " Some of the suggestions to tech companies from Ofcom include: "Abusability" testing to identify how a service or feature could be exploited. User prompts asking people to reconsider before posting harmful or abusive material. Easier account controls, such as bundling default settings to make it easier for women experiencing pile-ons to protect their accounts. Removing geolocation by default. Training moderation teams to deal with online domestic abuse. While a report from Ofcom shows women are five times more likely to suffer intimate image abuse and are more likely to report being negatively affected by harms experienced online than men, Dame Melanie said the guidance was not about "women versus men or demonising men". "I think many men are really concerned about this as well. And that wider culture that's going on online, I just don't think it's healthy for anybody. "The misogyny that's becoming normalised in some parts of the internet, that's not great for boys. It's not going to help them to form proper, strong, healthy relationships as they grow up. So I really hope men will get involved in this too." Harriet believes some of the suggestions by Ofcom would be ineffectual, such as popups on screen to make users consider if they wish to post abusive comments. "I don't think these kind of people worry if they're going to offend someone by doing what they're doing. They hide behind their keypads. Complete cowards," she says. However, she would welcome more protections for women experiencing pile-ons if they were built into social media platforms, adding users should be able to protect themselves from "pure abuse". Miah feels the guidance may make some difference, if companies choose to follow it. "I'd like to see tech companies do more," she says, "[Ofcom has] a huge challenge, but real change is possible if they hold platforms accountable. "Right now, reporting hate often leads nowhere - there needs to be stricter enforcement and actual consequences for harmful behaviour." In a statement given to the BBC, Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, said: "We remove any language that incites or facilitates serious violence, disable accounts, and work with law enforcement when we believe that there is a genuine risk of physical harm or direct threats to public safety. "We continue to work with women's safety groups to understand the different ways harassment towards women can show up, while improving our technology to find and remove abuse more quickly." The BBC has also contacted other social media companies, including TikTok and X, for comment. If you have been affected by issues raised in this article, help and support can be found on the BBC action line website. Radio 5 Live's Nicky Campbell will be joined by a panel of experts and a studio audience to discuss women and girls' safety online, in public spaces and at home. Listen on BBC Sounds from 0900GMT.
