A mum who was left feeling embarrassed after barely squeezing into her plane seat has lost eight stone – by walking.
Dee Ucuncu, 42, has struggled with her weight all her life, tipping the scales at exactly 17 stone and a size 26 at her heaviest.
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The mother-of-two became dependent on food such as kebabs and takeaway pizzas – to cope with the stress of raising her son Omer, 17, who has ADHD and dyspraxia.
But as she boarded a plane on the way back from her summer vacation, the passenger next to her exclaimed, “I don't want to sit next to a fat person” — and the shame Dee felt made her want to make a change.
She set a goal for herself to walk to the end of her road and started making it a daily occurrence – eventually walking 10,000 steps a day.
Dee also switched her diet to fresh home-cooked meals and slowly saw the changes in her body.
Now a 9st 7lb and a size eight Dee feels “fantastic” and continues to walk every day.
Dee, a volunteer from Cambridge, said: 'I went on holiday and someone who was fat shamed me in front of everyone on the plane.
“We got on the plane on the way home. I was sitting in the middle and this person came over and sat next to the window.
“He called the flight attendant and said, 'This fat person is sitting over my seat and I don't want to sit next to a fat person.'
“She ended up moving him.
“I was devastated. It was the most embarrassing thing of my entire life.
“No one had ever said anything about my weight before, even though I knew inside I had a problem.
“As annoying as it was, it was what I needed.
“Walking is seen as the most basic thing.
“It's the most amazing exercise you can do. It's so underrated.
“The most amazing moment was when I got to size eight.
“I feel great. I'm not worried about anything.”
Eating habits before and after losing weight
By simply swapping foods and changing your eating habits, you can lose weight responsibly.
Here are just some of the dietary changes Dee Ucuncu made to her daily eating plan:
WEIGHT FOR: 17th
SIZE FOR: Size 26
DIET FOR
- BREAKFAST: skipped
- LUNCH: Chips, chocolate
- DINNER: Kebab or pizza takeaway
- SNACKS: Chocolate chips
DIET AFTER
- BREAKFAST: scrambled eggs/porridge
- LUNCH: Crustless quiche
- DINNER: Low-fat Turkish lasagna/roast dinner
- SNACKS: Fruit
WEIGHT NOW: 9st 7lbs
SIZE NOW: Size 8
Dee ate takeaways, frozen meals and chocolate and became so fat that she struggled to walk 100 meters or stand for too long without feeling dizzy.
She said: “Cooking in our house was rarely done.
'When you have children, you forget yourself.
'Nobody wants to be fat.
'But many people have underlying problems that they need to solve within themselves before they can make that leap.
“I didn't fully believe in myself until I just started doing it.”
After being fat-shamed on a plane in May 2019, Dee decided to make a change.
She said: “I said to myself, this is going to be a completely new me.
“I wanted to lose it by exercising.
“I just had to take it in small steps.”
Healthy tricks to lose weight from a Personal trainer
Personal Trainer Jess has helped many people achieve their weight loss goals. Here are her top tips for losing weight responsibly:
- Increase your water intake
- Don't waste time with gimmicky diets
- Calculate your calorie intake and set responsible limits
- Using diet tracking apps can really help you stay on track
- Prioritize eating more fresh vegetables
- Make meal plans in advance
- Cut out junk food
- Set realistic goals
- Reduce sugar (beware of fruits high in fructose)
Do you want to know more? Visit Nutrition.Org
Dee started educating herself about a healthy diet before trying to build up her exercise.
She set a goal to get to the end of her road – about half a mile – and needed her son, then 12, to help her walk part of the way initially.
She slowly built up over five months to walking 10,000 steps a day on her own, five days a week.
Dee lost six stone in six months by walking and swapping her unhealthy diet for healthy, home-cooked meals such as low-fat Turkish lasagna.
She doesn't restrict herself from eating her favorite meals, but now limits her portion sizes.
She said: “Because you eat fewer calories, it flies away.
“I felt so great. I was so motivated.”
It took longer to shred the rest of the weight, but after two years and eight months Dee dropped to 8st 7lb.
After gaining muscle mass through training, she now weighs 9.7 pounds and is a slim size eight.
She can sit on the plane with peace of mind and went on holiday for the first time since the fattening comment in 2022.
She said: “I sat down in that chair and it felt big.
'I didn't have to worry about flooding.
“It was a surreal moment. I'm actually small now.”
Now Dee walks every day and does Zumba and running.
She ran 25km last year and aims to complete an ultramarathon.
Dee said: “I don't enjoy it while I'm doing it, but I feel great afterwards. And it really helped me strengthen my body.
'Running has made my body stronger.
The fact that I couldn't walk and am now running is amazing.
Dee Ucuncu
“I never thought I would set goals like this for myself, but I'm working towards it and it would be really great.”
Dee leads walks for her local walking group – Ramblers Wellbeing Walks – which she joined in 2022.
She said: “I call it my friendship group. There are 20 of us and we all go outside, exercise and have a great time. We always say it's the best therapy ever.”
Dee hopes her story can inspire others who are struggling to make the leap to a healthy lifestyle.
Find your local walking group here – Walkers wellbeing walks.
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