Blogger who battled depression reveals how she lost EIGHT stone in 18 months simply by changing her diet after GP said she could either be 'fat and happy' or 'skinny and miserable'
- Heather Walker, 33, from Lincolnshire, was depressed and ate badly for years
- Decided to come off anti-depressants despite the risks associated with this
- Heather lost eight stone in 16 months and went from a UK size 26 to a size 12
- Lost weight by overhauling her diet, exercising regularly and running marathons
A blogger has told how she lost eight stone in eighteen months after an appointment with her doctor changed her life forever.
Heather Walker, 33, from Lincolnshire, suffered from depression and would binge-eat to make herself feel better.
Frustrated with her increasing appetite and continued anxiety, which she put down to her anti-depressants, she visited her GP to discuss coming off the prescription drugs.
However she was shocked when her doctor told her she could either be 'fat and happy' or 'skinny and miserable', recommending she stay on them.
Despite being advised against it, Heather came off the drugs and overhauled her diet and exercise regime, dropping from 22 stone to 14 stone in just over a year.
Walker, 33, from Lincolnshire, lost eight pounds in 16 months after her doctor told her she could either be 'fat and happy' or 'skinny and miserable'. She is pictured with her finisher medal after running a half marathon with gym owner Adam Jones
'I felt as though I was free-falling through life,' she told FEMAIL. 'I was either eating too much or too little and all the wrong foods.'
Heather would binge-eat large portions every day, as well as snacking on unhealthy treats.
'I didn’t really care what I put into my body and my eating was all over the place. I would just eat rubbish to try and make myself feel happier. Comfort eating was a huge reason for me gaining the weight,' she explained.
But Heather got a wake up call in 2017 after a visit to her GP when she asked how she could maintain a healthy lifestyle while on anti-depressants.
'She simply said that I couldn’t have it all. That I could either be fat and happy or skinny and miserable,' Heather recalled.
Heather says she used to suffer from depression and go through periods of emotional eating. Now she exercises almost daily and feels much better. Pictured: Heather, 22 stone before her diet
Heather documents her weight loss on Instagram and has had people reach out to her to tell her how much she helped them. Pictured: Heather after her weight loss, at 14 stone
Heather made the decision to forgo her anti-depressants, which is not recommended and can have serious implications on one's health.
'I had plenty of side effects including feeling very emotional, and sick,' she admitted.
Heather said she kept some tablets as a safety net and started exercising with a personal trainer which made a world of difference.
'I don't do any diets apart from healthy eating and counting my calories. I have a varied diet or high protein, fruit and veg', she said.
Heather said she used to not care about what she put in her body, but after months of getting her figure back, she says she eats healthily and loves herself
A different person: Heather said the whole experience has made her much more confident
Now Heather works out six days a week and has reduced her intake to 1,800 calories a day.
Heather eats yogurt with seeds with fruit for breakfast, chicken salads and wraps for lunch, and skinny burgers or rice and fish for dinner.
'I love the weights and that really is my passion and something that I'm very interested in,' she said.
Heather does a lot of dead-lifts, squats, box jumps and dumbbells as well as working on her core muscles with abs.
'Last year with the gym I took part in the Great Eastern Half Marathon, which was my first time ever running in an event, so I'm going to do it again with them this year and my goal is to improve on my time,' she added.
'We are also taking part in Tough Mudder [an endurance race featuring obstacles and uneven terrain] which again I've never done before so I want to attack it with all my might.'
And 16 months after deciding to lose weight, Heather says she's feeling 'the best she's felt in a long time'.
She records her progress on her Instagram account and says it helps keeping her motivated.
'It makes me accountable for what I'm doing and it might help motivate someone else,' she said.
Heather after her weight loss with a friend on a night out. 'We are all so much stronger than we give ourselves credit for,' she told MailOnline
From couch potato to diva: Heather counts herself lucky to have been able to turn her life around
Heather says that many people have got in touch with her to share their own stories, adding: 'It's so fantastic to support each other.
'I had a lady come up to me this week explaining what a difference I've made to her as she is overweight and suffers with depression also. She told me that I give her hope.
'I hadn't really looked at it like that. I want to inspire but I didn't know that I actually was. I keep it real and always prefer to be straight up and honest.
'We all need to support each other more in life and I thought that if I can help just one person that might be struggling with depression or anxiety, or with being overweight, then I'm happy.'
Heather (right) pictured with her best-friend Alex Moore. Heather says a lot of people comment on her weight loss, and she is 'genuinely touched'
Heather, who works in fitness as well as blogging, says she feels like another person after attempting her weight loss
The blogger now feels happy with herself and more confident, adding that she felt supported by her acquaintances.
'Lots of people from the gym and friends often comment about my weight loss and how different I look and I'm always genuinely very touched,' she said.
Heather added that she feels quite overwhelmed by the changes she's made to her life and 'counts herself lucky'.
Looking back at the past year and a half, Heather says she is proud of her hard work and that she feels like a 'different person'.
'We are all so much stronger than we give ourselves credit for and we just need to believe in ourselves, put in the hard work and trust the process,' she explains.
'Losing weight is tough and done right, it does take time. Just keep going and it will all pay off. Walking in the gym that day scared the hell out of me, but ultimately probably saved me as I knew that I couldn't have kept going the way that I had for much longer.
'I am a different person now and I just so much happier. I still want to lose more weight and tone up which is my goal moving forward.'
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