As the last step came into view at the top of one of the highest water slides at The Land of Legends water park in Turkey, I let out a sigh of relief. I was out of breath, but I knew the splashdown would be well worth it. On reaching the front of the queue, though, the lifeguard looked at me and snapped, ‘120 kilo limit.’ At first, I didn’t cotton on. ‘Too heavy!’ he added. I felt my face flush hot with humiliation as I turned and began my walk of shame back down.
I’d started gaining weight a few years earlier during lockdown. Without school or football practice, big fried breakfasts and takeaways were how I found my sense of routine – which was important to me, being autistic as well as having ADHD. By the time everything opened back up, I’d gained 6st (38.1kg). My knees creaked, and my ankles were swollen and painful. I knew this wasn’t normal for someone my age, but I told myself the weight would come off at some point.
As I traipsed out of the water park on that day in May 2025, I realised I’d been kidding myself. ‘I need to do something about this as soon as we get home,’ I said to my nan, who I live with.
As luck would have it, not long after we got back, we saw a banner advertising our local Slimming World group. ‘What do you think, Bailee?’ Nan said. ‘I’m not sure it’s for me…’ I replied, thinking that weight loss groups were just for older women. With another trip to Turkey booked with my mum and dad, sister and two brothers for the following year, though, I figured it was worth a shot.
To my surprise, there turned out to be all kinds of people at group, and Sarah, the Consultant, was the best. I swapped my oily fry-ups for Slimming World Pork Sausages, with mushrooms, tomatoes and scrambled eggs cooked in 1 cal cooking spray, and Nan helped me choose dinners from the Slimming World recipe books.
Find out more: Slimming World breakfast ideas
As my weight started to come down, my self-esteem grew. I joined a gym, and started swimming and playing football. As a Fleetwood Town superfan, it meant everything to be able to join the club’s Community Trust team. And it was the biggest privilege when I was chosen to carry the team flag onto the pitch at a home game in front of 5,000 spectators. I’d never have had the confidence to do that before.
The best moment of all, though, came when I went back to Turkey in May this year, over 6st (38.1kg) lighter. I took on every water slide back at The Land of Legends and I beat my dad in a quad bike race! I’m at college now, following my dream to work as a football coach to young kids with special educational needs, just like me. I want to show them that with the right mindset, and a team of supporters cheering them on, there’s no goal they can’t achieve.
Weight loss will vary according to your individual circumstances and how much weight you have to lose.