I was a size 26 after necking EIGHT bottles of peach schnapps at Christmas – unusual activity helped me s… – The Irish Sun

MEET a mum who knows a thing or two about bouncing back – Amanda Murray has lost half her body weight with the help of a trampoline.
The full-time carer to son Andrew, 25, used to be 22st and suffer from Type 2 diabetes, but a diet and fitness overhaul has seen her drop to 10st 6lb.
Amanda, who lives near Cirencester, Gloucs, signed up to the mini trampoline class in 2018, when her weight-loss stalled and she realised she needed to be more active.
The 48-year-old says: “I feared everyone in the class would laugh at me.
"My spare tire wobbled up and down to the beat of the music and my thighs jiggled with each bend of my legs.
“I was depressed and ashamed of my body but I knew I needed to make a change.”
At her biggest in 2008, Amanda struggled to button up her size 26 jeans. Her GP prescribed slimming pills and she attended Slimming World, losing 7st over ten years.
But Amanda, single mum to Andrew, who has special needs, and Daniel, 20, a bus driver, knew bad habits were holding her back from reaching a healthy weight.
She says: “In January 2016 I was back at the doctors with a blood glucose level of 70 — that’s almost double what it should be. I knew why — I’d drunk eight bottles of peach schnapps over Christmas. Something had to change.”
Now a size 12, Amanda credits trampolining for turning her life around. But it hasn’t been easy.
She has struggled with her weight since her teenage years and says: “My body was chubby at the age of 12 and the weight piled on from there.
“As I got older my bad eating habits spiralled out of control. I was living off junk like crisps and chocolate and then throwing salt-filled ready meals into the microwave for dinner.
"I remember running up the stairs at home one day, aged 20, and feeling like I’d run a marathon. I had to grab the rail to stop myself from falling.
"Anyone else would worry and take action, but I didn’t put two and two together — I just wasn’t bothered.”
In 1996, when she was 21, Amanda discovered she was pregnant with eldest son Andrew.
But the celebrations were short-lived as she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
She says: “I remember hearing the doctor tell me my blood sugar was through the roof. My health — and more importantly, my unborn baby’s health — was in danger.
Never in a million years did I think I’d fall in love with exercise. Those trampolining classes completely changed my life.
“I was shocked and scared for my baby, so I followed a special low-sugar diet to stay well until my son was born. But it didn’t last — I soon went back to eating boxes of chocolates and Jaffa Cakes each day. My hard work was reversed — my diabetes kept coming back.”
After having second son Daniel in 2002, Amanda struggled to find the time to prepare home-made meals. Instead, she relied on ready meals, chips and takeaways.
She says: “No one ever told me I was fat, and I had no idea just how unfit I was as I panted to keep up with my sons in the playground.
“By 2008, aged 33, I’d reached 22st. My body weight wasn’t what bothered me, but I was depressed because I had no clothes to wear.
“Back then, barely any shops offered plus-size clothing, especially for people like me who didn’t fit into sizes like a ten or a 12. I’d pick up the biggest pair of trousers I could find and stretch them across my belly, desperately hoping they would fit. Looking in the mirror became more and more upsetting — what on earth was I going to wear?”
It was at this point the doctor prescribed weight-loss tablets. They were designed to prevent her body from absorbing so much fat, and it seemed like her last resort.
She says: “During my pregnancies, I managed to follow the diabetes diet — fruits, vegetables and whole grains low in fat and calories — but I could never keep it up after my sons were born.
“I didn’t confide in anyone, not even my partner. I felt like the pills were my only hope. I remember sitting in the waiting room and thinking worriedly, ‘If I don’t do something I’m going to die and leave my sons all alone’.”
I’m so proud of how far I’ve come. Now I can look in the mirror.
The pills helped her shift 3st and over the next 11 months she dropped another 4st with the help of Slimming World.
Amanda swapped full-fat sugary drinks and plates of chips for salads, fruit and vegetables.
By 2018, she had dropped to 15st but was still way off her target weight. Amanda says: “Instead of microwaveable meals, I cooked protein-packed chicken risotto, frittatas and omelettes.
“I became quite a chef and my kids joined in too. We were in it together. Seeing weight fall off my frame lifted the spirits but I was still unhappy with my body.
“I would wake up in the morning, look in my full-length mirror and despair at my lumps and bumps.” That is when Amanda spotted an advert for a mini trampoline exercise class called Boogie Bounce. The twice-weekly workout was conveniently nearby, but Amanda was terrified.
She says: “I was worried that I would be the fattest woman in the room or that I might fall off the trampoline and make a fool of myself. But the class was so much fun I immediately forgot about all that. I turned up twice a week for two-and-a-half years.
“It was like the weight lifted off my shoulders when I stepped on the trampoline and I stopped worrying about what my body looked like.
“For an hour at a time, a big group of us would cheer, chant and bounce along to chart music on our mini trampolines. Finally, I was starting to feel like a healthier, happier person and the effect bouncing had on my body was something I never expected.”
Boogie Bounce shut down in 2020, but it had changed Amanda’s mindset. She has shed 12st in total and reversed her Type 2 diabetes.
She says: “Losing the weight, and seeing how much I changed in my body and mind, was incredible.
“I walked around with my head held high, and friends would praise me in public. I was so happy.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d fall in love with exercise. Those trampolining classes completely changed my life.
“Nowadays I can climb a flight of stairs without panting at the top. I still get my fold-up trampoline out in the living room and bounce along to a DVD.”
Amanda also works out with a personal trainer twice a week and goes to TRX classes, a form of suspension training that improves strength and core.
And in August, she ran more than 80 miles in a month to raise money for research into Alzheimer’s and dementia.
She says: “I do worry that I’ll slip back into old habits and reach for snacks. But I’m no longer that 22st woman who doesn’t care about her weight. I want to be healthy.
“I’m so proud of how far I’ve come. Now I can look in the mirror and say to myself, ‘You are good enough’.”
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