17-stone mum feared for life after terrifying reaction to diet pills bought online following husband's death
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After losing husband Ray to bowel cancer, heart-broken Sue Golder knew she had to do something about her own health for the sake of their three kids.
At just 5ft tall and weighing 17 stone, Sue was desperately worried that if she didn’t lose weight quickly her children could lose her as well as their dad.
In desperation, she turned to slimming pills bought online, believing all the reviews that promised
her a quick fix and drastic weight loss.
Hairdresser Sue forked out almost £1,000 on pills, without ever speaking to a doctor, and within weeks suffered dreadful side effects that left her fearing for her life.
She immediately turned her back on the pills and joined her local Slimming World group in Hatfield, Herts, and has now lost more than eight stone and dropped from a dress size 24/26 to a 10/12.
(Image: Supplied)
She now wants to warn other slimmers of the risks of buying meds online for a quick fix – without asking a doctor for advice.
Sue, 51, says: “It just isn’t worth the risk. When you are buying these pills online you really don’t know what is in them. I would hate for anybody else to suffer like I did, especially young girls.
"There is no miracle fix, you need to find something that works for you that you can do for the rest of your life.”
Sue started gaining weight in her late teens, and after she had ­children, it piled on.
“I used to skip breakfast and lunch,” she says. “Then I’d be so hungry when I was cooking dinner that I would eat a sandwich, then my meal, then another sandwich and crisps after the kids went to bed. Bread was my big downfall.”
But 10 years ago, her husband Ray died from bowel cancer at the age of 55, leaving Sue a single mum. It was the shock she needed to try to finally lose weight.
(Image: Supplied)
“There were lots of stories in the news about the links between obesity and cancer, so I worried that if I didn’t tackle my weight then my children could lose me too.
“I started seeing adverts for online slimming pills and, in desperation, I ordered them. I couldn’t resist the temptation of fast results, and being able to order online meant there was no shame of people possibly seeing me go into a clinic.”
Sue didn’t speak to anyone to query the possible side effects, or whether they would be a good fit for her. And neither was she able to guarantee the website she used was selling a genuine product.
She soon started to suffer side-effects such as headaches, trouble sleeping and a dry mouth.
“Stupidly I thought the side-effects meant the pills were working,” she says.
But less than a month after starting the tablets, Sue suffered a funny turn which left her fearing for her life.
"I got up from the chair and my legs turned to jelly. My heart was beating so loudly I could hear it in my ears. I tried to walk to the kitchen, holding on to the wall to guide me.
(Image: Getty Images)
“I felt like I was going to pass out. I had visions of my children coming home from school and finding me dead in the house. I knew it had to be to do with the pills, so I flushed them away immediately.”
Sue cannot prove her pills were fake, but doctors say she should never have been using them at all without advice.
She initially put her weight loss attempts on hold, but after her car seat belt became so tight that it felt like it was jammed, she decided to join her local Slimming World group in May 2013 – and hasn’t looked back since.
“I immediately knew I’d made the right decision,” says Sue. “I lost 4.5lb in my first week and from there I didn’t look back.
Now I have porridge and fruit for breakfast, Spanish omelette for lunch and a proper dinner in the evening. I have adapted some of my favourite recipes like spaghetti and meatballs and roast dinners so they fit the plan.”
Sue is now just nine stone and her life has changed completely. She has gone from not doing any exercise at all to being able to walk eight miles at a time, and doing activities like swimming.
She says: “I feel like a different person. I feel confident walking into a room for the first time. I also love picking my grandson up from nursery and having the energy to run around after him.”