A 30-year-old woman has dropped seven dress sizes to turn her life around, after spending most of her youth comfort eating in foster care and battling with her weight.
Kelly Canning is no longer considered the "fat one" by her niece and nephews after joining Slimming World in 2017 and completely transforming herself both physically and mentally - enabling her to stop using her antidepressants and to live a completely new life.
Her battle with food started at an early age after spending many years in foster care and "not knowing how to talk about her emotions".
"Even when I was adopted at the age of 11 I continued to comfort eat, eating in secret and almost self sabotaging because I didn't love myself," said Kelly, who is now the deputy manager of Hollesley Community Nursery.
At her biggest, Kelly was a size 22 and weighed more than 16st 7lbs, hating the way that she looked.
"I noticed how unhappy I was when I started working at my first proper job after I graduated university," continued Kelly, who was crowned the Martlesham Slimming World Groups' 'Woman of the Year' for her weight loss success after dropping to a healthy 9st 5lbs and fitting comfortably into a size eight.
"I was about 21 years old and I realised that I was the biggest person at work. This stopped me socialising as I always thought 'why would people want to hang out with someone like me'. I lost all of my confidence."
Another low moment for Kelly was when her niece and nephews would call her fat, after she struggled to play with them because of her size.
She suffered badly with depression and anxiety during her 20s because of her appearance, and was put on antidepressants to help her cope.
The 30-year-old, originally from Braintree, added: "When I moved to Rendlesham two years ago, me and my husband (who was my boyfriend at the time) knew that we wanted to settle down and start a family, but I knew that no doctor would help me at the size I was."
Kelly joined Slimming World and says she has "not looked back since" - knowing that she needed to do this for herself and her families future.
She added: "I didn't want to keep getting bigger and bigger as I knew I had my whole life ahead of me, and now I have the confidence to do things I didn't before."
Kelly has come off of her medication, her confidence has grown and she feels happier in herself - with shopping for clothes now becoming an enjoyable experience.
Through Slimming World and with the help of her consultant Sarah Pearsons, Kelly has become more aware of what she's eating and knows to include more variety in her food, such as fruit and vegetables.
She has also taken up jogging and attends two 'bounce' classes a week, which she claims are great for toning.
"I've learnt all about moderation and that I don't have to cut anything out entirely. I have 15 sins a day and it makes it easier to keep it up," added Kelly, who is trying for a baby with her husband following her weight-loss journey.
"I keep a picture of me at my biggest on my fridge and that is all the motivation I need."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here