Lynne Webb, 56, from Maidstone, Kent, is a retired police officer and is training to be an ambulance call handler.
When I was in the police force, I rarely had to think about my weight and was always slim. Being on my feet all day, I was so active and always ate fairly healthily.
However, that all changed a year after the Westminster attacks in March 2017. I was working at the scene, and it was such a horrendous and deeply traumatising experience that about a year later, I basically went ‘bang’. I wasn’t sleeping, felt incredibly anxious and had other PTSD symptoms, and so I was put on anti-anxiety medication and moved to a desk job.
That was when my health and fitness started going downhill and the weight started piling on. I was also going through the menopause and experiencing symptoms of what would later be diagnosed as fibromyalgia – I had terrible tiredness and really awful aches that would appear in different parts of my body on different days. It was totally debilitating and confusing, and really got me very low.
I put on weight gradually. Because at 5ft 8in, I’m tall, so I didn’t really notice the first stone. But when my weight hit 15st, from around 11st, I suddenly really felt it. Then, when blood tests came back saying I was pre-diabetic, that was the final straw. I knew I had to do something about it.
Both my parents died from health issues arising from diabetes and I’ve always thought that if they hadn’t had the disease, they would have lived longer. So I knew I had to tackle my health to give me more time with my kids and my new grandchild.
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
