Obese Scots mum shed whopping seven stone 'with help from beyond the grave'

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An obese Scots mum who tipped the scales at 18 stone managed to shed a whopping seven stone with a little extra motivation from 'beyond the grave'.Mum-of-two Amanda Aitken piled on the pounds due to medication including long-term antibiotics, steroids and antidepressants she took for her battle with the respiratory condition COPD, which began in early childhood.

Amanda, who sometimes struggles to walk due to her lung condition, had resigned herself to being clinically obese and feared she'd never .

The 42-year-old feared she'd never be able to shift the weight after being mocked on social media over a photo of her at a wedding in September 2018.But two years later, Amanda vowed to get her health in order, after a close friend raised concerns.

Inspirational friend Dawn Aitken suggested Amanda join Slimming World, before she tragically died aged 46 in January 2021. Now Amanda says she's still getting motivation from her pal from beyond the grave.She said: "Dawn was a great friend, she was the one who encouraged me to join Slimming World because she was worried about my health."I can still hear her voice at the back of my head telling me to keep going when I lose another pound."Even when I am struggling, I can hear her and imagine her encouraging me to keep going.She continued: "I have always struggled with my lungs, since I've lost weight my quality of life has changed with everything else."I put on weight from medication, at one point I didn't think I could lose any weight especially with reduced mobility."I was clinically obese but when I went in and out of hospital they were more concerned about my lungs."I lost weight over a year and three months."In lockdown everyone was putting on weight but I was losing it."I hope