A RISCA slimmer who lost 15 stone in two years through exercise is hoping to motivate others to put on their running shoes.

Nygarie Long, a deputy head teacher at a Caerphilly County Borough Primary School, was 28 stones at her heaviest weight, and decided to shed the pounds after years of fad dieting.

The 33-year-old said: “I would lose three stone here and there but I’d put it back on so easily. I did every diet under the sun. In the end I was tired of trying and realised I needed to do something more drastic. I was the same age as my weight every year, and this continued until I was 28.

“I had seen programmes like Biggest Loser where they have personal trainers and things. I thought if I had something like that I would have the motivational to lose weight.

“I decided to seek the help of a local trainer.

“I would train in Wainfawr Park, Crosskeys. Once I got fitter Alex would set me a monthly challenge too. Such as towing cars, bear crawling around a rugby pitch, climbing mountains carrying weights or obstacle courses.”

After regular exercise and swapping her sugary night-time binges for healthier food, Ms Long saw herself losing the weight “slowly but surely”.

“I think the embarrassment of exercising helped me and pushed me to lose the weight. I felt awful at it and wanted to get better,” she said.

“My issue was binge eating every night on sugary snacks. I used to spend £10 to £20 on the binges.”

Working in a school, Ms Long said she felt like a hypocrite when teaching the children about how to be healthy.

“There I was, stood at the front of the classroom, teaching children about how to eat well when I weighed 28 stone. It was humiliating.

“I was okay as long as everything at the school was ticking along, but as soon as there were any changes I didn’t like it. I was always worried if there was a school trip because of my weight and fitness.”

But after losing the weight, Mrs Long is encouraging others to get out and get exercising, no matter what their size is, and said the first step is always the hardest.

She said: “As a big person it is hard to get going. We worry about exercising in public but people are really encouraging. Everyone should exercise no matter what size they are.”