WEIGHING 17st 2lb and wearing size 20 clothes, when mum-of-two Beatrice Blower looked in the mirror she felt frumpy and hated what she saw.
So when the 32-year-old's youngest son was three months old, she decided to do something about it.
In the space of a year she'd lost a staggering 8st, and recently underwent a 'mummy makeover' surgery package deal abroad, which has resulted in her confidence soaring.
Beatrice, who lives with her husband Richard and their two kids – Teddy, four, and Jagger, two, says: "I realised just because I was a mum didn't mean I had to live a life where I was unhappy in myself, so I started my weight loss journey.
"Then, losing so much weight and having two kids really impacted my body too, and I still felt so self conscious.
"I hid it well, but when naked I could see the excess skin on my belly, my breasts were saggy from breastfeeding – they were just skin.
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"In January I underwent a tummy tuck and breast lift with implants to take me to around a DD cup.
"When I saw my body for the first time, I burst out crying!
"It's completely transformed my life, and for the first time I'm confident enough to take my kids to soft play and swimming – which I never would have done before."
'I piled the weight on'
Even before becoming a mum, Beatrice had always been quite self-conscious, and struggled with her weight.
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She says: "Up until secondary school it wasn't an issue, but in secondary school I began to put on weight.
"Then in my early twenties, I was going out drinking all the time and getting takeaways – so I piled the weight on.
"By the time I was 25, I was a size 20."
'I was so self-conscious'
Former international buyer Beatrice met her husband Richard when she was 27 and a size 20, and at her heaviest weighed 17st 10lb.
She says: "I was so self-conscious – looking back now, my dress sense was just I wore whatever fitted me, not what I wanted to wear.
"Richard has always loved me and been supportive so I just focused on having a family as that was my priority and that's all I thought about.
"We'd eat convenience food, or grab a takeaways and then I had both my kids within the space of 18 months.
"My weight spiralled out of control but again I focused on the kids and pushed my insecurities to the back of my mind."
The turning point
However, after having Jagger at the end of 2020, Beatrice was so unhappy and her mental health was impacted, so in 2021 she decided she needed to do something about it.
She says: "I realised life was too short, and so I started working out and eating better.
"I calorie counted and with Jagger in a baby sling and Teddy in a pushchair I'd just go walking and ensured I did 10,000 steps every day."
Initially the weight dropped off easily, and after three months Beatrice began to notice the difference, having lost three stone.
She says: "I was averaging about a stone a month, and after took ten months I'd lost 8st and was around 9st.
"I was so happy I'd managed to get to that and I was wearing size 8 clothes – but out of clothes I still wasn't happy.
"A result of this was excess skin, so I knew I would have to have surgery to remove it. I'd worked my backside off to lose the weight and I was left with a body that I wasn't comfortable in."
£6k 'mummy makeover'
In January this year Beatrice finally bit the bullet, and splashed £6k on a 'mummy makeover' surgery package with plastic surgeon Dr Domantas Rainys at Fi Clinica, based in Lithuania.
Beatrice says: "I was on a waiting list for 10 months so that gave me enough time to get the money together.
"I was in the operating theatre for five hours and had a tummy tuck and breast lift with implants, taking me to around a DD.
"I was quoted in the UK for the same surgery upwards of £15k so it was a no-brainer to go abroad."
'It's changed my life'
Now, Beatrice is just six weeks on, but is already delighted with the results.
She says: "Honestly, it's literally changed my life. When I saw my body for the first time, I just burst out crying and I feel like a completely different woman.
"I couldn't believe it was me. I'd get so emotional looking in the mirror because I could never have pictured myself having this body, especially after having two kids.
"For the first time ever I can confidently wear a bikini without having to hide my wobbly bits – this year we've got two beach holidays booked and I can't wait.
"My husband was so supportive from the beginning of anything that makes me happy, but as you can imagine he's over the moon!"
'I'm a happier, more confident person'
Now, Beatrice coaches other women to help them lose weight, and couldn't recommend the mummy makeover surgery she had enough.
As well as boosting her confidence and how she feels about her body, it's also had a knock-on impact on other areas of her life too.
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She adds: "Before this, I would never feel confident enough to take the kids swimming or to soft play because I was paranoid everyone would be staring at me – but now I don't care and we go every week.
"Everyone around me has benefited, including my kids and husband, because I'm a happier, more confident person."
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