Dinner lady who weighed 23st transforms body to ‘save her marriage’
At her heaviest, Nicole Marnell claimed her excessive size was a “one-way ticket to an early grave” when she weighed 23st.
The 37-year-old put her love of ice cream and fat-filled snacks before her husband and children, until she had a wake-up call.
In 2017, the mum realised her relationship was crumbling so she decided to kick-start her weight loss journey.
Now, Nicole, from Melbourne, Australia, has lost an incredible 9st after starting the Healthy Mummy slimming programme.
“My family had taken a backseat to my main priority in life – food”
Nicole Marnell
She said: “My family had taken a backseat to my main priority in life – food.
“My marriage wasn’t working, my children were being neglected, even my friends had to tell me some home truths – I’d let myself go.
“What kind of mother chooses to stay in bed watching movies day in day out, instead of taking their children swimming or to the park?
“It got to the point where I either did something about it or accepted that I had a one-way ticket to an early grave.”
Despite a restricted diet at home, Nicole saw her weight slowly creep up throughout her primary and high school years.
She added: “Of course, I was picked on, it came with the turf of being the biggest girl in school.
“Classmates were constantly shouting out the Jenny Craig diet plan hotline number at me.”
She began to struggle with her confidence after the relationship with the father of her first child broke down.
But everything changed for the mum-of-three when she met Lenard, her current husband, at a house party in 2005.
Nicole explained: “I’d never had much luck with men, even [my first child] Tahli’s dad wasn’t on the scene for long.
“Then I met Lenard and, as they say, the rest is history.”
After getting engaged in 2008, Nicole didn’t walk down the aisle until 2015, by which time the couple had two children together.
“So, walking down the aisle at 20 stone was pretty tough, although Lenard was perfect,” she explained.
She added: “He just kept squeezing my hand and telling me to concentrate on him.”
Nicole realised that if she kept putting food first, she would lose her husband and children.
So her friend introduced the Healthy Mummy programme, a meal and exercise plan regime, which Nicole began on a one month-trial.
With a new diet and exercise plan, the mum dropped down from a size 26 and 23st to a 13st 7lbs, wearing a size 14.
She concluded: “I’ve never felt better, so I’ve made the decision to keep on getting fitter.
“To anyone else out there who thinks they’re a lost cause, don’t give up hope, I’m living proof that anything is possible.
“Losing this weight isn’t just about looking good in the mirror, it’s saved me, my family and my marriage.”
To learn more about the Healthy Mummy, visit the official website.
- Weight loss
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