'I was too big to work and GP said surgery wouldn't help - so I lost six stone'

A woman who was signed off work and was struggling to get out of bed when she weighed 20 stone says her days became a 'blur of emotional eating'. Mum of three Anneka Wilkins says she hit ‘rock bottom’ and was suffering from depression.

Her breakfast would be a fry up, sugary pastries, and lattes, and lunch was ‘enough pasta for four’, while she snacked through the day on crisps, biscuits and sweets before having takeaway or fast food for dinner, with a bottle of wine to wash it down.

Anneka, from Wiltshire, sought help from a consultant, who refused to carry out surgery - telling her she would pile the pounds back on if she didn’t address her eating habits. He recommended NHS-backed Second Nature. And Anneka started its Mounjaro-assisted programme in January.

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Today, the 50-year-old is almost unrecognisable - having lost six stone and wearing a size 16. Anneka now regularly goes to the gym, looks after her two grandchildren, and she has launched her own business.

"I've always had weight issues," Anneka said. "I’ve been like a roller coaster all my life after hitting my teens when I stopped competitive swimming. I had my first son at 22, and really noticed the weight creeping up. And so over the years it's just been up and down. And then I had my younger two boys - who are 13 and 14 - with only nine months apart, and I was 38. I did every diet known to mankind but the weight just came back on again, and I learned really bad habits.

"I was 19 stone 10lbs, and I was a size 26, and that was getting tight. I thought weight loss medication was a fad, but I took the advice of my consultant, although I was very cynical. But the results were instant. The weight started to drop off in the first week, and it’s continued consistently since then."

Anneka’s struggle with her weight began in her teens when she gave up competitive swimming. Once at home in the water, after having three children, her growing size and fading confidence meant she could barely bring herself to put on a swimming costume.

She said: "I've been a competitive swimmer, so I swam for the county growing up, but I wouldn’t even put a swimming costume on as an adult, because I thought everyone would laugh at me. My weight affected everything. The more I got depressed, the more I would eat and drink, and that got out of hand, probably sometimes up to two bottles a day."

At her wedding to husband Dennis in 2013, Anneka squeezed herself into a size 26 dress and spent the day feeling uncomfortable and self-conscious. Her lack of body confidence put a strain on her relationship; she often dreaded her husband seeing her without clothes, despite his reassurances.

She said: "I was depressed. I was struggling to just do basic things. I was out of breath walking. I lost all my self-confidence. I went into a shell. I didn't want to get out of bed a lot of the time. I used to look like a sack of spuds in the loosest top I could find, and I wasn’t putting on makeup, even though I’ve always been quite glam."

As her weight crept up, Anneka’s health went into decline. Chronic fatigue, aching joints, poor sleep and relentless anxiety became her constant companions. Years of yo-yo dieting, generous portions and secret snacking followed, leading to mounting health problems, chronic fatigue and anxiety. By late 2024, Anneka’s world had shrunk to the point where even simple tasks like walking her dogs or keeping up with her grandchildren felt insurmountable.

In November 2024, Anneka hit ‘rock bottom’, and was signed off from her corporate job as a talent acquisition manager with severe depression and anxiety. She said: "If I started a pack of biscuits, I'd have the whole pack of biscuits, and that would seem normal to me. I was never full. I was always thinking about what’s next, what’s my next meal? The more I was getting depressed, the more I was eating.

"The depression got so bad and anxiety. I had to step away from the workplace. That was another reason I set up my own business. I was feeling so self-conscious and worthless that I didn't think I could work in a corporate environment."

She was prescribed antidepressants and the emotional and physical toll became overwhelming, reaching crisis point when Anneka needed urgent gallbladder surgery last year, an operation her consultant nearly cancelled due to her dangerously high BMI. At a follow-up appointment, Anneka asked for bariatric surgery, but her consultant refused, warning her that unless she tackled the emotional roots of her eating, no operation could help her in the long run.

"He said ‘even if you had a million pounds, I wouldn’t operate on you, as weight loss starts in the brain, and if you don’t get that right, it won’t work," Anneka said. "He recommended Second Nature, and said I should try Mounjaro - so I did."

Anneka began the NHS-backed healthy eating plan, which offers two weight-loss programmes, Mounjaro and Wegovy, in January 2025.

She said: "The food noise stopped very, very quickly after the first injection, and the weight started to drop within the first week. I’ve been consistent since then. It’s really helped me manage my appetite and stay on track. There have been a few ups and downs, but overall I’ve noticed a big difference in my energy and consistency.

"I’ve been quite lucky and not had many side effects but I put that down to the amazing support I have had from Second Nature who really guided me about what to eat."

Anneka swapped sugary, processed cereals and pastries for Greek yoghurt, eggs and fruit, packed lunches with protein and fresh salads, and cooked simple meals from scratch. The biggest surprise was losing the urge to drink, allowing her to enjoy a recent family holiday completely sober, something she never thought possible.

Now weighing 13st 10lb, down from 19st 10lb, Anneka’s main goal is no longer a number on the scales, but living fully and setting a positive example for her family. She has stopped taking antidepressants and rediscovered the quiet pleasures of exercise, whether it’s walking her spaniels at dawn across Wiltshire fields, getting back in the swimming pool, or going to the gym three times a week.

With her confidence restored, Anneka has thrown herself into launching her own business. She now relishes being her own boss and enjoys meeting clients, networking and sharing her story on social media, hoping to inspire others. Anneka’s family say her old spark has returned. Anneka is now the first to suggest a walk, feels proud of how far she’s come, and has even inspired her sons to adopt healthier habits. Her business Wilkins Talent Solutions has gone from strength to strength, and her husband has now joined the company.

"I feel like I’m back to my old self, and I’m showing my kids and grandkids a different example,’ she added. And while she’s still got her sights set on reaching 11 stone, Anneka says the best feeling of all is simply waking up with energy and a future she now feels in control of, for the first time in decades.

She said: "Before, I felt like my health was holding me back, but now I'm full of energy and ready to take on anything. My confidence has grown so much, and I feel incredible, both physically and mentally. I'm taking on new challenges at work and feeling more present with my loved ones. I never thought I could feel this energetic and healthy again. It’s been life-changing."