Woman who was fat-shamed hits back by dropping six dress sizes in a year

An overweight teenager who was fat-shamed has hit back at her bullies by dropping six stone and six dress sizes in a year.

Rugare Simbi, an 18-year-old student from Bristol saw her weight climb to almost 19 stone after years of bullying led to her comfort eating junk food.

In school the teen was on the receiving end of nasty comments about her size which led to her feeling withdrawn and isolated.

“My weight held me back from being myself,” she told Femail. “It made me extremely withdrawn and self-conscious of my body, arms, stomach and back that I would just wear long sleeve baggy clothes.”

Turning to food as a form of comfort, Rugare saw the pounds gradually creep on until she reached 18 stone 12 lbs at which point she decided to make a drastic change.

In January last year, she joined the gym and kickstarted her new healthy living regime.

“I used all the negativity in my life from bullying to indirectly motivate me,” she said.

Gradually Rugare saw her body shape begin to change until after a year she’d dropped more than six stone and reached a healthy size 14.

She now works out at least four times a week at Xercise4Less and said the fitness classes there helped her more than anything. She has also started an Instagram page sharing motivational posts that she hopes will help others to reach their own body goals.

“I want to help others lose weight and teach them the importance of self-love and self-appreciation along the way because that’s an issue of the heart and mind – it’s not something a good diet or exercise routine can fix.”

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