Colchester mum and super slimmer sheds eight stone

Photos of drunken celebrations may elicit a smile, followed by a slightly embarrassed shake of the head and a “What was I thinking…?”

But for Kelly Ottaway, a 42-year-old mum-of-two, a look back on a New Year’s Eve photograph was enough to transform how she went about her daily life.

Having weighed just under 20 stones on New Year’s Eve 2018, dinner lady Mrs Ottaway, of Lord Holland Road, Colchester, has now dropped almost eight stone to transform her image... and force a major clear-out of her wardrobe.

“I saw some photos shortly after 2018 New Years and I thought ‘I really don’t like the look of that’.

“Seeing all these photos and just not liking the look of myself really prompted me to do something about my weight,” said Mrs Ottaway.

“My husband received a new posting in January 2019 and it meant me staying behind to give our two boys some stability.

“I decided to use the time to try and transform myself.”

Kelly before joining Slimming World and losing eight stone

It was not as if she had not tried before, however.

Mrs Ottaway had tried Weight Watchers, as well as a whole host of diets before, but without success.

Read more >> Slimmer crowned 'greatest loser' after shifting 10 STONE in six months

All it took was a quick search on Facebook for local weight loss groups for Mrs Ottaway to come across Slimming World.

Not only that - once she joined, she made sure to keep it a secret.

“I didn’t tell anybody – not even my husband – that I was going to join that day,” said Mrs Ottaway.

“I just thought I’d go and give it a try and see what happens.

“It’s not a place to go to be ashamed.

“Everyone is there for the same reason, so I didn’t feel scared joining Slimming World.”

It wasn’t long before Mrs Ottaway started to reap the benefits of her lifestyle changes.

She lost over three stone by the end of 2019 and continued to make steady progress throughout 2020.

Home-schooling her two young boys throughout lockdown proved a challenge – but it also provided her with an opportunity.

Kelly after her weight loss

“During lockdown I started walking regularly with the kids,” she said.

Read more >> Mother who has lost more than half her body weight receives special slimming award

“When they were able to return to school, I carried on walking, but faster!

“After I had lost six stones I began the Couch to 5 km, and since then I’ve found a real love for running and use it just as much for my mental health apart from anything else.”

When asked about how slimming down and losing eight stone has changed her life, though, Mrs Ottaway is remarkably grounded.

It sometimes takes another look at an old picture – that New Year’s Eve photograph – for her to realise just how far she’s come.

“I don’t really see the progress I’ve made until I look at photos,” she said.

“Then I realised ‘Yes, this is a massive deal.’

“You see yourself all the time but you don’t always see the major transformation other people see.

“I’m still me, I’m the same person being the same mum doing the same job.

“I don’t feel like it’s completely changed my life – but it’s prolonged my life in the long run.”

Two-and-a-half-years on, and with only one more stone to lose before Mrs Ottaway reaches her target weight, what’s next?

“I’ll keep doing my running,” she says, “between the school run and work.

“I have two-and-a-half hours to myself each morning which is my exercise time between taking my children to school and going off to work.

“It just sets me up for the day, really.

“I just want to carry on getting the times down and keep with it.”

Balancing her job, the school run, as well as her daily running, one could say Mrs Ottaway is making remarkable strides.