Tideswell teacher lost six stone in one year

Kathryn McGuiness from Tideswell started her journey last September when she weighed 21 stone and now weighs 15 stone.

The 40-year-old said: “The change has been amazing and it’s hard to remember how I was before but I’m eating better and I exercise regularly now, so I’m much healthier than I was.

“In September last year I was wearing size 32 clothes and now I’m in a size 20, I know I’m still big and want to lose another four stone but when I was able to buy something from a ‘normal’ clothes shop it felt really amazing.”

Kathryn, originally from Oldham, has been a teacher for 17 years and her career has taken her all over the country.

She started her working life in Peterborough and in 2004-2005 she worked in the Czech Republic teaching at an International school in Prague.

She said: “There is a very different pace of life over there. In England teachers work in school and out of school and put things like socialising behind that work but it wasn’t like that over there you had time to your self.”

She returned to England and took a job in Bradford and then moved to Cambridgeshire for six years. She met husband Alan online in 2006 and the pair were married in 2010.

Kathyrn said: “It was really hard for me because we were married but living at other ends of the country for a year. I had no job up here so I didn’t want to move but we saw each other every weekend and throughout the school holidays.”

In 2011, Kathryn got a job at Bradwell Junior school on Hugh Lane and she moved up to White Cross Road.

She said: “It’s a lovely school and the people are wonderful.”

In a bid to lose more weight, Kathryn has taken up walking and earlier in the month she completed the Macmillan Cancer Support walk from Darley Moor racetrack near Ashbourne to Buxton.

She said: “It was 26 miles and when I finished it was very emotional as I never thought I would be able to do something like that but losing the weight has changed my life.”

How Kathryn shed the pounds

After being spurred on by her husband who wanted to lose weight, Kathryn has found a lifestyle change that works for her.

She said: “I allow myself to eat between eight hours of the day and no more. Previously I would get home from work, have my tea, do my marking and I’d be snacking at 9pm and 10pm and there was never a cut off point of ‘this is too late to eat you should really stop’.”
Now Kathryn eats only between noon and 8pm and says her mornings are so busy looking after 30 children she never has time to feel hungry and will just drink water or unsweetened tea or coffee.

She is also doing two days a week where she only eats 500 calories.

She said: “For those two days I make conscious choices to eat better. I have salads, cottage cheese, chicken breasts, jelly and swapping rice for cauli rice means I can still enjoy curries and tasty treats like that.”