I don’t just walk up the
stairs - I run up them
I don’t just walk up the
stairs - I run up them
Lyn Fox’s own story
I had just turned 60, and moving about was becoming an even bigger problem. The older I got, the harder everything seemed. I had spent years dieting, losing the same six stone over and over, only to regain it again. My knees were in agony, and when the doctor diagnosed osteoarthritis, it felt like a life sentence.
The pain was unbearable, and my weight made it impossible to exercise. Without movement, my knees only got worse. I was trapped in a vicious cycle, watching my mobility slip further away.
As I explained in Sandra’s book, The Weight’s Over: Take Back Control, my husband and I had moved into a new house just before Covid. It had stairs leading up to the bedrooms and down to another lounge. I remember standing at the top of those stairs, feeling absolute dread. I told my husband, “I don’t think I can stay here. We’ll have to move.” I was terrified that one day my knees would give way, and I’d fall. The thought of losing even more independence was terrifying.
Then, the wake-up call came. A friend sent me a photograph of myself, and it was horrendous. I barely recognised the woman in that picture. I was about 32kg (five stone) overweight, and I couldn’t believe how much I had let things spiral. But even though I knew something had to change, I lacked the motivation. I would moan about my weight, buy bigger clothes, and pretend it was fine. It had just become too hard.
What a change! Lyn before and after Slimpod
And then, as if by magic, an ad popped up on Facebook for Slimpod. Something about it grabbed me. Maybe it was the right timing, or maybe it was just sheer desperation, but I decided to give it a try. From the very start, I absolutely loved it. I didn’t have to force myself to do anything—it all started to happen naturally.
Suddenly, I found myself making healthier food choices without even thinking about it. I started craving things like hummus and tomatoes, which was bizarre because I’d hated the smell of tomatoes since childhood. But now? I loved them. My whole diet became healthier, and the best part was that my family’s diet improved too.
From the very first day, I had this instinctive desire to eat better. It wasn’t about restriction or dieting—it was like my body was telling me what it actually needed. I even started adding seeds to my meals, something I had never thought about before. And then came the most unexpected change of all: I couldn’t sit still anymore!
I felt this energy bubbling up inside me, and suddenly, the idea of moving didn’t seem so impossible.
I went back to my Zumba class and started doing strength exercises to help my knees. I wasn’t forcing myself—I actually wanted to do it.
A few weeks later, I had another hospital appointment for my knees. The doctor prescribed me painkillers for osteoarthritis, but the packet is still unopened. As I lost weight, the pain started disappearing. I was stunned. All those years of thinking I was stuck with this pain, and suddenly, I was proving myself wrong.
So far, I’ve lost all of that 32kg and more. My knees are stronger than they’ve been in years. No pain. No medication. Just me, finally in control. I do some form of exercise every single day, and my diet has become something I truly enjoy. I don’t even have to think about it—it’s just the way I live now.
The lighter, happier me starts the day with a seven-minute workout from a YouTube video. I never thought I’d say this, but I actually run up the stairs now. Exercise has become something I look forward to. I even have a personal trainer and do strength exercises like squats with weights. Imagine that! Me, doing squats! I used to think my knees would never allow it, but now I know they’re stronger than ever.
I was a size 18. Now, I’m a size 10. I walk everywhere, I go to Zumba regularly, and the best part? I’m no longer exercising to lose weight.
I exercise because I want to. It’s part of who I am now, and I absolutely love it.
We’re going on a cruise soon, and the old me would have booked it with one thing in mind—the 24-hour buffet. That was all I cared about. But now? I’ve already booked my gym sessions on board. That’s the person I’ve become. The person I never imagined I could be.
My eating habits are completely different, too. I used to believe that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, especially when I was dieting. I’d force myself to eat in the morning because that’s what I was supposed to do. But now, I only eat when I’m actually hungry. I still have my cups of tea in the morning, but I don’t eat until lunchtime. And even then, it’s not because I have to—it’s because my body tells me it’s time.
Lunch for me now might be something as simple as an apple with peanut butter or a salad. Dinner is usually a healthy stir-fry, and for dessert, I’ll have Greek yoghurt with honey or maple syrup. I’ve even given up sugar in my coffee, which I never thought I’d be able to do. But my taste buds have completely changed—I don’t even want the sugar anymore.
Looking back, my life is unrecognisable. The person I used to be—the one who was in constant pain, who feared falling down the stairs, who thought movement was impossible—she’s gone. I saw someone the other day struggling to walk down the road, and it hit me: That was me, only 18 months ago. Now, I don’t just walk up the stairs—I run up them.
If I could go back and tell my past self anything, it would be this: It is never too late to take back control. You don’t have to accept pain. You don’t have to accept being stuck. You can change. You can feel better.
And trust me, life on the other side is so much better than I ever imagined.
