Baking was my passion but I had to ditch the dough
Bethany Palmerfield, 24, Halesowen
Trudging into the living room, I dumped my school bag on the floor and looked up at Mum.
‘What does thunder thighs mean?’ I frowned.
It was summer 2016, and a lad in my class had been saying it to me all day.
‘Kids are cruel,’ Mum sighed, explaining. And boy did I know it. Aged 16, I weighed 20st and was twice as big as the other girls in my class. At 5ft 5in tall, I wore a size 18-20.
Growing up, I’d loved baking fairy cakes with Nanny Jean.
Licking the mixture off the spoon was the best part.
Mum was a brilliant baker too.
Made me and my twin sister, Eloise, the most elaborate birthday cakes.
Treasure chests that opened with chocolate coins and hedgehog cakes so lifelike you’d feel bad for cutting into them.
But unlike Eloise, my love of food had taken its toll on my body.
Now this latest insult left me floored.
Ignore it, I thought.
I tried to focus on other things, like Saturday school at University College Birmingham’s prestigious College of Food.
Every weekend, I got the bus home with plastic tubs full of baking for my family and neighbours to share.
Doughnuts, freshly baked bread, Victoria sponge cakes or homemade biscuits.
A year later, I did a diploma in confectionery and baking and worked at Cadbury World on the side.
Made the most of my staff discount, splurging on rocky roads and brownies.
Constantly surrounded by temptation, weight piled on. By 20, I weighed almost 22st and was a size 22. By now, bullying wasn’t my problem.
At work, my size was accepted, after all, never trust a skinny chef, as the saying goes.
‘It’s your health that’s worrying us, love,’ Mum said gently.
It felt like every week, my parents called me down for one of their chats.
‘I’ve tried everything already,’ I shrugged.
I could reel off a list as long as my arm of the diet plans I’d been on.
One night I even went to bed with my belly wrapped tightly in cling film, after seeing a post online saying it made you lose weight. After three sleepless nights I gave up.
And anyway, no amount of diets or cling film could compete with the smell of warm muffins straight out of the oven.
Or the overwhelming urge to try everything I baked.
These days, I didn’t just lick the spoon, I licked the entire bowl.
In time, I completed a degree in Bakery and Patisserie Technology and Science, then got a job as a pastry chef at a prestigious five-star restaurant.
My parents were so proud and I was in my element.
Spent hours coming up with my very own mousses, brulees and pann
