Alton Towers' white knuckle Air ride made me lose SEVEN stone, claims miracle slimmer
AN OVERWEIGHT woman pinpointed a terrifying theme park ride at Alton Towers as the reason for shedding an amazing seven stone.
Nicole Whitehead, 23, was so humiliated by needing three people to help her on to the white-knuckle Air ride three years ago that she decided enough was enough.
Weighing 18st, she vowed never again to visit a theme park until she felt better about herself.
The 23-year-old, from Spondon, Derbyshire, went from a size 24 to a size 10 in a move that transformed her life.
She said: "It was very embarrassing because it was a very busy time and I was quite young.
"I felt mortified to have three people trying to get me in.
I felt mortified to have three people trying to get me in.
"All the people around me on the ride also looked very embarrassed for me.
"It ruined the day completely because I just wanted to go home.
"I didn't go on any rides after that.
"It could have been avoided if I'd not put the weight on and got so big."
Nicole's weight issues saw her in A&E twice because her size restricted her breathing, which led to panic attacks.
Nicole said: "I had no confidence at all. I used to get very stressed when shopping for clothes.
"I would just feel awful and I was not living the life of somebody my age.
"I was living in denial. I didn't think my size was bringing on the health problems when it obviously was."
Nicole, who works as an auditor, lost the weight by attending Slimming World classes.
She first attended in March last year and is now at her target weight of 11st 2lb.
Crisps and chocolate have been replaced with jacket potatoes and rice.
After losing 11lb in her first week on her weight loss plan, the weight has continued to fly off.
She now visits theme parks regularly and has even been scuba diving.
Nicole said: "After what happened at the theme park, I was so proud to be able to go scuba diving. I now feel amazing compared to what I used to be like and I'm so pleased with the achievement.
"I feel loads better about myself and I've got my confidence back. I can go out with my friends and have a good time, feeling comfortable.”
NICOLE'S NEW DAILY DIET
Breakfast: "I used to have a few rounds of white toast with full-fat butter. Now it's still toast, but wholemeal bread with cereals as well."
Dinner: "I would eat a lot of sandwiches and other rubbish. I'd also snack a lot on crisps and chocolate. Now I'm much more organised. I'll have a jacket potato with rice and salad."
Tea: "I used to cook with full-fat oils and a lot of roast dinners. The great thing about Slimming World is you can make little changes and still have roast dinners."