A Swindon woman who lost 12.5 stone is now gaining recognition for using her weight loss journey to inspire others to do the same.

Sarah-Jane Clark started the online weight loss support group ‘Step by Step with Sarah-Jane’ in lockdown after she started sharing exercise and nutrition tips on social media.

She describes herself as a food addict and at one point weighed nearly 22 stone, before coming to terms with her addiction and making a decision that would change her life forever.

Sarah-Jane said: “When my GP told me I wouldn’t live to be 40 if I didn’t make a change, that was a massive wake-up call.

“That day something inside of me changed, and I started going for half-hour walks at night and stopped living on processed foods and microwave meals.”

Sarah-Jane credits her remarkable weight loss to finally acknowledging the harmful effects that her secret binge-eating was having on her body.

(Image: Sarah-Jane Clark) “I was in an emotionally abusive relationship, and whenever my partner would leave for work I would just eat, I couldn’t control it. I remember asking people if I could be addicted to food and was told that couldn’t be true, and that I just needed to get out and exercise, which made me feel worthless.”

“I got so big that I couldn’t fit in a plane seat, and once when I went to watch Swindon Town I got stuck in the turnstile. People would point and stare.”

However, the gradual changes Sarah-Jane made after speaking with her GP set her on the track to initially losing over 6 stone alongside giving birth twice, although this came with another realisation.

“I thought once I started losing weight I’d be happier, but after losing 6.5 stone I didn’t feel any happier and couldn’t understand why.

“I left my relationship and started reading self-help books and going to the gym, which petrified me at first but I fell in love with it.”

Sarah-Jane stresses that gradual weight loss is the key to sustaining healthy lifestyle choices: “Any time I tried to go on a diet it never worked as it meant a food-obsessed girl was just thinking about food all the time. It’s not sustainable to just count calories your whole life.”

(Image: Sarah-Jane Clark) After turning 40, she started running to take part in the 5K Race for Life after losing her mother to cancer.

Since then, Sarah-Jane has completed over 50 half-marathons and 4 marathons, including the London Marathon twice.

She is now using her journey to inspire others with her online support group ‘Step by Step with Sarah-Jane’, which sees her connect with people all over the UK to share weight loss advice and provide motivation.

“The group works well because I have walked the walk, I know how other people feel and the shame they put on themselves.

“I love helping people, and with the group, I have created something that I would have liked myself all those years ago. It Is something I am really proud of.”

Her work has seen her nominated for the Positivity Award at the upcoming Women’s Business Club awards ceremony on November 30.

The nomination is particularly important to Sarah-Jane given she was championed for the award by a former coach Sara Tye, who sadly passed away in July after a short battle with cancer.

Looking to the future, Sarah-Jane wants to “reach as many people as possible” to educate them about food addiction, which she says is far more hidden than other addictions such as alcoholism.

This has involved volunteer work alongside Swindon Borough Council and visiting schools as a guest speaker to talk to children about healthy living.

“Throughout my teenage years I was very lonely and lacking confidence, I thought food was my friend. Now I know what these kids are going through because I’ve been there myself.”

To find out more about Sarah-Jane and her support group, click here.

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