REAL LIFE
After years of feeling held back by her weight, Caoimhe Whyte made a big decision and lost six stone…
For years, Caoimhe Whyte would go to bed each night terrified she wouldn’t wake up again – even though she was only in her 20s. At 20st 11lbs, she suffered from sleep apnoea, which meant she often stopped breathing during the night. Caoimhe was petrified of dying and leaving her four-year-old son, Toby, without a mum.
It was only when she saw a particularly unflattering picture of herself that she finally realised she couldn’t live that way any longer. Caoimhe vowed to lose weight and began by ditching her regular Greggs takeaways. She soon lost enough weight to have a gastric sleeve operation.
Now, Caoimhe, 26, is six stone lighter and is more committed than ever to living a healthy lifestyle. She says, “I feel the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever felt. People are stunned by my glow-up, and many don’t recognise me any more!”
EXHAUSTED
In her late teens, Caoimhe, from Belfast – who is now a single mum to her son, Toby – started binge eating and rapidly put on weight after suffering with her mental health. When she fell pregnant with Toby in 2018, Caoimhe who is 5ft 5, weighed 13.5 stone. Within three years, she put on eight stone, reaching 20st 11lbs.
After giving birth to Toby in 2019, she felt constantly exhausted and her poor mental health started to take a toll. She sought comfort in food and started binge-eating once again. Caoimhe explains, “Getting into bed, I’d prepare myself for another restless night of laying awake for hours, terrified I wouldn’t wake up. I was diagnosed with sleep apnoea in 2020 and it meant I’d often stop breathing during the night.
“During the day, I turned to food for comfort and to power me through. For breakfast I’d order my favourite – Greggs! I was obsessed with their sausage rolls and I’d eat them daily. I’d skip lunch and instead snack on chocolate and crisps. Then, I’d have a huge dinner which was usually a kebab or Chinese takeaway. I’d eat around 10,000 calories a day – sometimes more. I’d tried calorie counting and personal trainers, but I’d always put the weight back on, plus more.”
But in 2021, when Caoimhe, who was a size 24, saw a picture of herself taken by her mum she knew she had to do something about her size. She says, “When I saw the picture, I was horrified. I had four chins!
By that point I rarely left my house. I felt too heavy to walk distances and feared people’s judgemental stares on the bus.
I became a recluse.”
Knowing she needed help for an eating disorder, Caoimhe
