WEIGHING 18 stone and a little over 5ft tall, Suba Rohrman took painkillers every day to combat the agony in her knees.
She found it hard to walk short distances and was embarrassed to travel on public transport.
But that was before a health scare convinced her she had to change her habits.
Now the 37-year-old business development officer has lost half her bADVERTISEMENT odyweight and become a role model for the benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Mrs Rohrman began her stunning transformation after her father, who had always been fit and healthy, became ill and she realised she could be putting her own health at risk.
She changed her diet, which had included snacking on countless biscuits and eating two desserts a night, and joined her local gym.
Now, less than three years later, Mrs Rohrman has gone from a size 26 to a size 8. Weighing just nine stone, she has grown in confidence, been promoted at work and is planning to share her knowledge with children battling obesity.
"My life has changed for the better now. I'm much happier and much more active," she said. "I get treated so differently. People used to act like I was lazy and stupid and I'm neither. My bosses saw what I can achieve if I set my mind to something and they gave me a promotion. It's great."
An average healthy resting heartbeat is around 75 beats per minute (bpm), but after she ballooned to 18 stone, just carrying out basic tasks put Mrs Rohrman's average heartbeat up to 109 bpm.
She joined a gym in Aberdeen and her local branch of WeightWatchers. Gym manager Kerry Smith became Mrs Rohrman's personal trainer more than two years ago.
"Suba was a special client, and probably the one I've achieved most with," said Ms Smith. "Usually, people want to get fit and tone up. Wanting to lose nine stone is out of the ordinary.
"But Suba stuck with it. It was tough for her because there was no quick fix, but she stayed with her plan and got to where she wanted to be."
Mrs Rohrman believes she gained the weight not just because of a lack of exercise but because she had no idea what foods were good for her.
Under the guidance of diet coach Theresa Rollo, she was told what to eat, and what to avoid.
Speaking of her two supporters, Mrs Rohrman said: "I owe them both so much for all the help they gave me.
"They told me what to do to change my lifestyle and it worked. The weight's stayed off and I'm never going to put it back on."
The transformation in Mrs Rohrman's health has enabled her this year to run two half-marathons and three 10km races, and her resting heartbeat has dropped to a healthy 62 bpm.
With a growing number of Scottish children developing weight problems, Mrs Rohrman is determined to become a positive role model.
"There are few people out there who can say they've been through exactly the same thing as them and been successful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and weight loss.
"If I knew someone like that as a child, maybe I would have changed my life sooner."
The secret ingredients: Hard work, help and good advice
WHILE some turn to drugs or surgery to lose weight, Suba Rohrman simply relied upon support and determination.
"I've got to where I am without surgery and without drugs. I did it with a supportive environment, expert advice and hard work," she said.
Mrs Rohrman is an advocate for the classic style of losing weight – exercise and healthy eating. She is now a positive role model in a society battling the bulge, but where many people believe special drugs, gastric bands or operations are the only way to lose weight.
At 18 stone, Mrs Rohrman had a body mass index (BMI) of 47, a rating considered a serious health risk. She now has a healthy BMI of 23.
The time it took her to lose the weight is considered realistic by health professionals, who suggest shedding about 8lb a month.
For Mrs Rohrman, the answer was to sign up to WeightWatchers and hire a personal trainer at her local gym. She focused on the four areas of food, behaviour, support and exercise.
She substituted biscuits and desserts for a healthy diet including fruit and vegetables, lean meats and poultry.
Her personal trainer created a fitness programme that began with gentle exercise and gradually became more demanding, until she was able to run 10k races and half- marathons
(Editor: admin)
She found it hard to walk short distances and was embarrassed to travel on public transport.
But that was before a health scare convinced her she had to change her habits.
Now the 37-year-old business development officer has lost half her bADVERTISEMENT odyweight and become a role model for the benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise.
Mrs Rohrman began her stunning transformation after her father, who had always been fit and healthy, became ill and she realised she could be putting her own health at risk.
She changed her diet, which had included snacking on countless biscuits and eating two desserts a night, and joined her local gym.
Now, less than three years later, Mrs Rohrman has gone from a size 26 to a size 8. Weighing just nine stone, she has grown in confidence, been promoted at work and is planning to share her knowledge with children battling obesity.
"My life has changed for the better now. I'm much happier and much more active," she said. "I get treated so differently. People used to act like I was lazy and stupid and I'm neither. My bosses saw what I can achieve if I set my mind to something and they gave me a promotion. It's great."
An average healthy resting heartbeat is around 75 beats per minute (bpm), but after she ballooned to 18 stone, just carrying out basic tasks put Mrs Rohrman's average heartbeat up to 109 bpm.
She joined a gym in Aberdeen and her local branch of WeightWatchers. Gym manager Kerry Smith became Mrs Rohrman's personal trainer more than two years ago.
"Suba was a special client, and probably the one I've achieved most with," said Ms Smith. "Usually, people want to get fit and tone up. Wanting to lose nine stone is out of the ordinary.
"But Suba stuck with it. It was tough for her because there was no quick fix, but she stayed with her plan and got to where she wanted to be."
Mrs Rohrman believes she gained the weight not just because of a lack of exercise but because she had no idea what foods were good for her.
Under the guidance of diet coach Theresa Rollo, she was told what to eat, and what to avoid.
Speaking of her two supporters, Mrs Rohrman said: "I owe them both so much for all the help they gave me.
"They told me what to do to change my lifestyle and it worked. The weight's stayed off and I'm never going to put it back on."
The transformation in Mrs Rohrman's health has enabled her this year to run two half-marathons and three 10km races, and her resting heartbeat has dropped to a healthy 62 bpm.
With a growing number of Scottish children developing weight problems, Mrs Rohrman is determined to become a positive role model.
"There are few people out there who can say they've been through exactly the same thing as them and been successful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and weight loss.
"If I knew someone like that as a child, maybe I would have changed my life sooner."
The secret ingredients: Hard work, help and good advice
WHILE some turn to drugs or surgery to lose weight, Suba Rohrman simply relied upon support and determination.
"I've got to where I am without surgery and without drugs. I did it with a supportive environment, expert advice and hard work," she said.
Mrs Rohrman is an advocate for the classic style of losing weight – exercise and healthy eating. She is now a positive role model in a society battling the bulge, but where many people believe special drugs, gastric bands or operations are the only way to lose weight.
At 18 stone, Mrs Rohrman had a body mass index (BMI) of 47, a rating considered a serious health risk. She now has a healthy BMI of 23.
The time it took her to lose the weight is considered realistic by health professionals, who suggest shedding about 8lb a month.
For Mrs Rohrman, the answer was to sign up to WeightWatchers and hire a personal trainer at her local gym. She focused on the four areas of food, behaviour, support and exercise.
She substituted biscuits and desserts for a healthy diet including fruit and vegetables, lean meats and poultry.
Her personal trainer created a fitness programme that began with gentle exercise and gradually became more demanding, until she was able to run 10k races and half- marathons