Danielle McGill, 36, weighed 22st and couldn’t fit on rollercoasters
A mum-of-four who was consuming 10,000 calories a day has shed half her body weight after becoming so large she ‘couldn’t fit’ on a rollercoaster. Danielle McGill was determined to transform her lifestyle when she tipped the scales at 22st and ballooned to a size 26 due to years of unhealthy eating habits.
The 36-year-old said she turned to food as a coping mechanism following the heartbreaking loss of her father to bowel cancer in 2019. After having three children, Danielle admitted she began ‘neglecting herself’ even further – ploughing through Toby Carvery fried breakfasts, McDonald’s lunches and evening kebabs every single day.
Danielle revealed she grew so large that she couldn’t even squeeze onto a rollercoaster at Flamingo Land, despite theme parks being a beloved pastime she had shared with her dad. In January 2025, the mum-of-four started using skinny jabs to help suppress her appetite and within a year had dropped an incredible 10 stone.
Now weighing 11st 11lbs and fitting into a dress size eight, Danielle, who has recently launched an aesthetics business, admits she’s ‘much happier’ – and can once again enjoy rollercoaster rides with her children.
Danielle, who lives in Sunderland, said: “I think my weight just crept up over time because of my lifestyle. Then in 2016 my dad was diagnosed with cancer. We were extremely close, I saw him every day and I did all of his care.
“Then he passed away in 2019 and I wasn’t in a very good place for a long time, I’d just had a baby as well. His passing has still left a huge loss. I was just trying to pull through – I wasn’t very kind to myself, I had a lot of negative thoughts about myself and a lot of shame about my weight.
“I was so unhappy, eating was a way of coping, but it was self-sabotage. I just used to stay in the house, I used to have to pull myself up the stairs with the bannister.
“I wouldn’t go into soft play because I was scared I’d get stuck – down the slide or anywhere. I was eating between 5,000 and 10,000 calories easily.
“Me and my dad used to love going to theme parks then after he passed away, I couldn’t get on. I couldn’t fit on because I was too big, it was humiliating.”
In January 2025, Danielle made the life-changing decision to overhaul her lifestyle and embarked on a course of weight-loss injections, shedding a remarkable 10 stone within a year. The proud mum can now enjoy rollercoasters with her children and sit comfortably in theatre seats without the anxiety of her size standing in the way.
Danielle said: “In order to be a better parent and a better person, I needed to lose weight. It was for the children and bettering myself.
“After having kids, I was neglecting myself. I was just focused on looking after them, I let myself go even more.
“I felt like I was unhappy and that radiates out of a person. It was never about being a bikini model, it was about being healthy. The day that I decided to give myself some compassion for everything that I’d been through and be kind to myself was when I started changing my lifestyle.
“There were so many non-scale victories. I was able to go to the theatre, the seats are tiny, I didn’t have to stress about fitting in the chair.
“I was able to go on a rollercoaster at Alton Towers with my kids and not stand thinking in the queue ‘am I going to get on?’ That felt massive to me, I do feel proud, but it feels surreal.”
After shedding nearly half her body weight, Danielle revealed she was happier than ever and is encouraging others on a weight-loss journey to be gentle with themselves.
Danielle explained: “I completely changed my lifestyle, I eat healthily. It’s not been a quick-fix, it’s been a complete lifestyle change and they [the jabs] have just given me the headspace to do that.
“The money I spent on takeaways, I just spent on [injections] instead. I was spending all my money on food.
“I feel much happier and more confident. I would say to other people ‘don’t put too much pressure on yourself, take it a week at a time’. Give yourself the same kindness you’d give to a friend.”
Danielle’s food before weight loss
Breakfast – fried breakfast at Toby Carvery
Lunch – McDonald’s
Evening meal – Chinese, kebab
Dessert – chocolate, cakes, sweets
Snacks – coffee, donuts
Drinks – two-litre bottle of Pepsi Max per day
Danielle’s food after weight loss
Breakfast – protein iced coffee
Lunch – high-protein meal like chicken with rice
Evening meal – steak with vegetables
Snacks – apple slices with peanut butter, protein bar/shake, nuts
