Woman loses 123 pounds after taking up running during lockdown
A woman lost half her body weight in the last two years during the U.K.’s coronavirus lockdowns.
Sophie Higginbottom, 30, from Ellesmere Port, U.K., attributes her 123.5-pound weight loss to her newfound love of running, as well as her involvement in the U.K.-based weight loss program, Slimming World.
Higginbottom was even recently named Slimming World’s “Woman of the Year.”
According to SWNS. Higginbottom began her weight-loss journey in January 2020. At the time, she weighed about 249.5 pounds and avoided cameras because she didn’t like how she looked, according to a Slimming World press release.
“I had struggled with my weight since I was a teenager and couldn’t seem to get it under control,” Higginbottom said in the release. “I would always avoid cameras and just hated having my photo taken – it was getting to the point where I barely recognized myself.”
According to SWNS, one of Higginbottom’s biggest motivators to start her weight loss journey was participating in a charity 5K run with her family, where she realized how unfit she was.
According to SWNS, after the run she joined Slimming World. She lost 5 pounds within a week.
“I’d tried lots of diets in the past, but nothing ever stuck because I felt so restricted,” Higginbottom said in the Slimming World release. “With Slimming World, I could still enjoy lots of hearty and delicious food.”
Higginbottom was also drawn to running as a way of losing weight.
“As I lost weight I suddenly had so much more energy, so I decided to try Couch to 5K,” she said in the release. “I absolutely loved it and to my surprise – found I was quite good at running! I never thought I’d be the type of person to love running.”
Higginbottom is now 126 pounds after losing 123.5 pounds in the past two years. Higginbottom enjoys her new lifestyle, running and is currently planning Alex’s wedding.
“Planning a wedding is actually something I’m excited about,” Higginbottom said in the release. “I definitely think it would have been something I dreaded before I lost weight.”
According to her, weight loss has also provided other benefits.
“I’m so much more confident and full of life,” Higginbottom said in the release. “Nothing feels out of reach anymore, and that’s an amazing feeling.”
She added: “I feel like this is the version of me that I was always supposed to be.”