She lost six stone for the chance to become a mum

After years of hoping for a family, Tamyka knew she had to make a change. Now, more than six stone lighter, she has finally reached the weight she needed and can begin the fertility journey she has dreamed of for so long.

For Tamyka, every pound she lost carried a little more hope.

At 16st 13lb, she knew her weight was standing between her and something she desperately wanted: the chance to start her journey towards becoming a mum.

At just 30, the dream of having a family had already become an emotional one. There was the longing, the uncertainty and the difficult knowledge that she first needed to lose weight and reduce her BMI before she could move forward with IVF.

It was a huge goal to carry.

But Tamyka decided that she would do whatever she could to give herself the best possible chance.

Today, she is 9st 13lb.

She has lost more than six stone.

And, perhaps most importantly of all, she has reached the weight she needed to begin her fertility journey.

“I needed to lose weight to get my BMI down so I could be successful with IVF,” says Tamyka.

Those words explain so much about what kept her going.

This was never just a weight loss journey.

This was about hope.

A dream worth fighting for.

Tamyka began losing weight before joining Slimming World and initially used weight loss medication. But very quickly, she started thinking about her future and what would happen when the medication was no longer part of her life.

She wanted something sustainable.

She wanted to learn how to change her relationship with food and build habits that would stay with her.

“I thought the best way to succeed and be able to keep it off was to join Slimming World.”

On 8 April 2025, Tamyka walked into her Slimming World group at Moorland Park Methodist Church (Boultham Park), Lincoln.

She has not missed a single week since.

Week after week, she kept showing up. Through the good weeks, the difficult weeks and the moments when progress may not have felt fast enough, she kept going.

Because behind every weigh in was something much bigger.

A future she was desperate to reach.

Every pound lost brought her closer.

Every stone lost felt like another step towards the family she dreamed of having.

And eventually, the moment she had been working towards arrived.

She had done it.

Over six stone lighter, but so much more gained

The physical transformation is incredible.

From 16st 13lb to 9st 13lb, Tamyka has lost more than six stone.

But ask her what has really changed and the answer goes much deeper than the scales.

She has found confidence.

She has found control.

And she has learned to trust herself around food.

Growing up as one of 10 children, Tamyka has always loved food. Her family have always been big foodies, with cooking, eating and trying new things forming a huge part of family life.

But over time, her eating habits became something she struggled with.

“I’d have takeaways two to three times a week, eat junk food and overfill my plate.”

Food had become less about enjoyment and more about habits that left her feeling unhappy with herself.

Today, everything is different.

She rarely has a takeaway. She eats more fruit and vegetables and, when she is hungry, she knows how to make a choice that will nourish her rather than simply reaching for whatever is easiest.

Her favourite meals have not disappeared either.

Tikka masala, king prawn bhuna and cottage pie remain firm favourites.

That is one of the things Tamyka loves most about Slimming World.

“I’ve learnt so much through Slimming World. It has helped me have a much better relationship with food. I now have the confidence to make decisions when it comes to mealtimes.”

For Tamyka, Food Optimising has shown her that losing weight does not have to mean feeling hungry or giving up the foods she loves.

It has given her something she describes as self control.

And that confidence now extends into every part of her life.

She feels more comfortable making choices when she eats out. She feels more confident choosing meals, snacks and drinks. She is more active and feels healthier.

But there is another change that means even more.

She believes in herself.

Seven months without the medication

One of the most significant milestones in Tamyka’s journey came when she stopped taking her weight loss medication.

Seven months on, she is still doing well.

The habits she has developed through Slimming World have given her the confidence that she can continue making healthy choices without relying on medication.

For Tamyka, that is a huge achievement.

She has not simply lost the weight.

She has learnt how to live differently.

And now she can take those lessons with her into the next chapter of her life.

The people who never stopped believing in her

Tamyka knows she could not have done it alone.

Her boyfriend has been by her side throughout the journey, supporting her in ways that have made a real difference.

Sometimes that has meant making changes to his own choices.

There have been occasions when he has chosen a Slimming World meal instead of having a takeaway, simply so that Tamyka could stay on plan.

It may seem like a small gesture, but when you are working towards something as emotionally important as this, that kind of support can mean everything.

Then there is Jasmin, her Slimming World Consultant.

Tamyka describes her as “absolutely amazing”.

Every week, Jasmin has been there with encouragement, support and reassurance.

And every week, Tamyka kept coming back.

That commitment became one of the foundations of her success.

Now her dream can finally begin

There is something particularly poignant about where Tamyka finds herself today.

At the beginning of her journey, IVF was something she was working towards.

Now it is finally becoming a reality.

The weight loss she once hoped she could achieve has happened.

The number she needed to reach is no longer somewhere in the distance.

She is there.

And that means she can finally take those next steps towards the family she has dreamed about.

There is excitement now where once there was uncertainty.

There is hope where there were difficult questions.

And there is pride in knowing just how much she has overcome to get here.

Tamyka knows that losing weight cannot guarantee the outcome she dreams of. But it has helped her reach a point where she can finally begin the journey.

That, in itself, is something incredibly precious.

“I feel healthier and I’m more active. I know I can continue making healthy choices.”

After everything she has been through, she can finally look forward.

‘If you fall, pick yourself back up’

Tamyka’s advice to anyone considering starting their own weight loss journey is simple.

“Do it and don’t give up. It will be the best decision you have ever made. If you fall, it’s okay. Pick yourself up and keep going.”

It is advice that feels particularly powerful coming from her.

Because Tamyka knows what it means to keep going when the reason for doing so matters enormously.

She knows what it feels like to have a dream that seems a long way away.

And she knows what it takes to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

She did not need every week to be perfect.

She just needed to keep showing up.

One group became another.

One healthier choice became another.

One stone became two, then three, then four, then five and finally more than six.

And somewhere along the way, Tamyka discovered that she was changing far more than her weight.

She was changing the way she saw herself.

Now, at 9st 13lb, she is not standing at the end of her journey.

She is standing at the beginning of a new one.

A journey she has been longing to start.

A journey towards motherhood.

And after everything it has taken to get here, Tamyka can finally let herself believe that her dream of becoming a mum might be one step closer.

She lost six stone.

She found confidence.

And now, finally, she has hope.