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I was lovin' it too much

My job at McDonald's made me go large!


Published by: Laura Hinton and Nilufer Atik
Published on: 17 January 2013

Tugging down my shirt to cover my bulging belly, I waddled over to the till. A group of young lads had just walked in.
‘What can I get you today?' I asked, smiling politely at them.
‘A Big Mac meal,' one grunted.
‘Will that be a large?' I said.
The next thing I knew, they were sniggering with one another. I frowned. What had I said that was so funny?
Then it clicked. Face flushing red with shame,
I just ignored them and went to get their food.
Okay, so I was no small fry, but seriously, what right did they have to judge me for being fat? As if I didn't know it already!
A size 24, I knew I was supersized. But I wasn't going to let these idiots see that they had upset me. So, I handed them their meals with a smile and just pretended like it had never happened.
After a long shift, I slumped into my chair feeling exhausted. But, even sitting down was uncomfortable. My McDonald's manager's uniform was way too tight. The fitted shirt was so stretched it came up really short on my belly, making me look like a whale. I was going to have to ask for an XL men's shirt soon - that would be like a sack!
Even though I felt terrible, the greasy smell of fried food wafted over to me.
‘Mmm, what will I have for lunch today?'
I thought. I didn't need to look at the menu, I knew it off by heart. In the end, I went for chicken nuggets and large fries, all washed down with a full fat Sprite. Just moments later, I'd devoured it all.
There was no denying it - I was hooked on fast food.
I'd used up the staff meal allowance they gave me to pig out every day. Licking my lips,
I then grabbed a McFlurry ice cream for dessert. Delicious!
I'd often tuck into the calorie-laden meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'd been fed up so much over the past year it almost didn't matter. What was an extra Big Mac at the end of the day?!
I'd started working part-time at McDonald's a couple of years ago. At first, it had been so that
I could earn a bit of extra pocket money while deciding on a future career. But then I was promoted to manager, and the rest had been history...
All of a sudden, my phone started to ring. It was my boyfriend Fraser.
We'd met the year before through friends, although he actually worked in a different McDonald's across town. I'd found my golden nugget!
‘What do you fancy for dinner, babe?' Fraser asked.
‘Lets just pop to the chippy on the way home,' I told him.
That's the thing, it wasn't just McDonald's at work that
I was eating. On the way home from work, we'd grab a takeaway of some sort, usually Chinese. I was more than 19st now. Sometimes I'd even buy a family-sized pack of Cadbury chocolate buttons and hide them down the side of my bed. To be honest, I was embarrassed about what I was eating.
And, despite telling myself I could ignore those boys earlier on, that night
I kept hearing their sniggers.
‘I know I'm fat,' I moaned to Fraser that night.
‘You're beautiful,' Fraser insisted. ‘And I love you just the way you are.'
‘But that's the thing,' I sighed. ‘I'm just not sure I love myself.'
My weight was affecting me on a daily basis now. I was breathless all the time. I'd take Jasper, my labrador, out for a walk but would get to the park and then just sit on the bench.
‘There you go Jasper!' I'd shout, throwing the ball without even standing up.
However, this still couldn't stop me munching my way through the menu at work. They weren't really happy meals anymore, though, just comfort meals.
Then, a couple of months on, my periods just stopped.
‘I don't understand,' I worried to Fraser. ‘I can't be pregnant, we're so careful'
‘Perhaps you should go to the doctors,' he said. ‘To put your mind at rest.'
So I went to see my GP who certainly dished up a few home truths for me. I'd actually become a whopper!
‘You're morbidly obese,' he gently told me. ‘If you don't stop eating and lose some weight, your periods might not return.'
‘So I could be infertile?' I gasped at him.
‘Unless you sort out your diet, there's a chance that could happen,' he said.
I was shocked. Although I'd known I was putting my health at risk,
I had no idea of those kinds of risks. Me and Fraser had already spoken about having children one day. I ran out of the doctor's surgery in tears.
‘This is the wake-up call that I needed,' I told Fraser.
So, on the recommendation of a friend, I decided to join Scottish Slimmers.
Before too long, I was at the first meeting. We introduced ourselves by telling each other where we worked. ‘I'm a McAddict,' I grinned, sheepishly.
‘God that must be hard!' the team leader gasped. ‘No wonder you struggle when you're surrounded by all that fatty food.'
‘Well, I hope you're going to help me!' I laughed.
It sounded quite simple really. I had to replace all the junk food with healthy and nutritious meals.
‘The odd snack will be allowed, too,' she told us. ‘Maybe even a small treat from McDonald's!'
To avoid temptation, I started taking healthy food to work, such as homemade pasta. In my first week I lost 4lb!
Slowly but surely, my McDonald's uniform started to get baggier and baggier.
‘We'll have to order you a new shirt soon,' my boss said. ‘Congratulations!'
‘Maybe you will,' I grinned, happily.
Although, I already had other plans. I'd realised that I just wasn't quite lovin' it anymore.
Five months on, I'd lost 2½ stone and it was my 21st birthday. Time to celebrate!
As a treat, Fraser took me away to a luxury lodge in Dundee for the weekend. We were snuggled together watching Ghost one evening when he suddenly got down on one knee.
‘Will you marry me?' he asked.
‘Of course!' I whooped, feeling over the moon at how everything was turning out.
There was even more good news when my periods returned.
Losing the weight had really made me reassess everything in my life. So I decided to quit McDonald's and start a nursing course.
I'm now in my second year of studying... and a whopping 8½ stone lighter! A slim size 10 now, I weigh just 10st 7lb. I've finally gone from supersized to super-slim.
I recently had my first burger since starting the diet and, while it did taste good, it also made me feel sick!
I am pleased that I've fixed my fast food McAddiction for good, and I'm lovin' life once again!
Stephanie King, 22, Kirkcaldy, Fife