LEYTON: Daughter's comment inspired 8 st weight loss

9:14am Friday 27th June 2008

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A MOTHER who traded chocolate and crisps for chic peas and salads says people didn't recognise her after she lost 8 st.

Bernice Trowser, 39, of Dagenham Road, Leyton, said she was living on a diet of junk food before a comment from her nine-year-old daughter and feelings of slugishness and poor health prompted her to do something about it.

Now, following 19 months of healthy eating and running, Bernice has dropped eight stone from a substantial 20 st to a slender 12 st.

She said: "My daughter came home one day and said, mummy, a boy called you fat'. She hugged me and I could see how upset she was. I didn't want my daughter to feel embarrassed by me, and wanted to be the best role model I could for my daughter.

"Also, I always had aches and pains and decided I was too young to be getting out of bed everyday with that."

Miss Trowser, who also has a son, Jerome, 17, used to eat erratically, skipping breakfast and then snacking on chips and chocolate at lunchtime. But now she eats three sensible meals a day and has joined a running club, jogging 5km every other day.

She said of her new look: "People haven't recognised me. They have stopped me in the street wondering how they know me, and have been gobsmacked. My family is so proud of me. I can stand alongside my sisters and not be the big one."

Miss Trowser has been overweight for most of her life, so has had some adjusting to do.

"My face has completely changed. I have got used to my new face now. It has been a life-changing experience and the best thing I have done, other than having my children," she said.

Melissa Willis who runs the Weight Watchers goup in Markhouse Road which Bernice joined in October 2006, said she has been an "inspiration" to many people.