36-yer-old mom Tasha Frampton from Farnborough was told she needed to severely lose weight, or lose her dream of getting pregnant. This was the time when she was fully determined and ultimately, the miracle happened.
The weight had not been a problem for Tasha Frampton during her teen years. She’d always thought herself to be an ‘ordinary’ size. But in her mid-20s, she began to heap the pounds.
‘It happened when I was newly married. ‘I was happy and I wasn’t being mindful about what I ate,’ says Tasha.
Before she recognized it, as she neared 30, she was a size 22 and weighed 19 stone. But there was different cause Tasha had adapted food. Some of it was a pleasure eating, because about a year after getting married, she and husband Ross started trying for a baby and it just didn’t happen.
A Mum was too fat to have a Baby
She has lots of dreams, but the main one was starting a family. She’s the eldest of four and had a lovely childhood. They were striving for about five years and deemed it was never going to happen. They had all kinds of tests, but doctors couldn’t ever find a medical reason why she couldn’t get pregnant. Tasha had tried losing weight earlier, but she didn’t believe the size was a problem when it came to having a baby.
‘Friends my size had had little ones, so why shouldn’t I? I didn’t see why my weight was such a difficulty,’ Tasha said.
Finally, after almost giving up hope on having the family they desired, Tasha and Ross determined to attempt IVF. But Tasha was surprised when doctors informed her she needed to lose weight.
The doctors said Tasha had to reduce her BMI to 30 before they could even start IVF because if she didn’t, it was far less possible to work.
She’d tried diets before but nothing had gone according to plan. But, this time she was so resolute and concentrated. She seriously needed to improve her eating habits.
Tasha would often skip breakfast but then have a packet of crisps when she got to work. For lunch, she’d go to the store and buy a pasty or a triple sandwich with white bread and cheese and mayonnaise, which she’d have with a carbonated or sugary fruit drink.
She’d probably have some snacks in the afternoon, maybe another bag of crisps as she loves crisps and a bar of chocolate and more unhealthy drinks.
The Success
Tasha succeeded to lose some stones on her own by calorie counting and going to the gym before she understood she required guidance. She chose The Jane Plan, which creates healthy meals that are delivered to the customer.
‘I wanted something controlled and strict that I didn’t have to think about,’ says Tasha.
Breakfast was normally something like healthy muesli or porridge, lunch was soup or a tuna or salmon fillet with bulgur wheat, and dinner might be chicken in a low-calorie sauce that Tasha could add veg to or a pasta dish.
She liked the food, so it didn’t look like a diet. It was delicious and good for her, and as well as supporting her to lose weight, it got her back on track with healthy eating and suitable portion sizes. It took only over a year, but Tasha lost almost half her body weight, reaching 10 stone, a healthy weight for her body.
She’d also gone from a size 22 to a size 10. Losing weight indicated Tasha and Ross could eventually begin IVF. It was difficult, but all her hard work wasn’t for nothing.
After their first round of treatment, the day had finally arrived to find out if it had worked. They’d been told to do the test on a particular date and this was it. She needed to go for a wee, so she woke her husband and told him she was going to do it. They waited together, staring at the stick for the result to come up in the little window.
‘Finding out I was pregnant was unbelievable and amazing. I was over the moon. We just hugged each other, it was emotional,’ Tasha says.
Losing weight was great and she felt great. But the greatest reward of all was to fall pregnant. She couldn’t believe it at first.
Baby Arabelle was born on 3 December 2015 and was a vigorous bunch of joy. She’s gorgeous and so cheerful and active that she keeps me on my toes,’ says Tasha. She has made motherhood everything she wanted and thought it would be.
It’s just completely incredible. But neither Tasha nor Ross desired her to be an only child. She had a great childhood growing up with her siblings, so she wanted that for Arabelle. The couple decided to use one of the frozen embryos left from treatment. And it worked again.
Now Arabelle is three years old, and Tasha is pregnant with her second child, due in November.
Tasha says, ‘I’m finally going to have the family I always desired, which, if I’m honest, I was afraid I’d never have.
‘To have one child was wondrous but to have two kids will make us complete and fulfill my dreams. I am so happy. Losing weight has supported me to achieve my dreams, and that means every ounce, every pound, every stone was worth it,’ Tasha said.
