Mum-of-two made bloke have the snip so she could lose baby weight

MARI NICOL piled on six stone in each of her pregnancies but has found the ultimate way to keep on track – asking her fella to get the snip.

The mum-of-two shed the extra weight after her first pregnancy but put it all on again and went up to 18st when she unexpectedly became pregnant for a second time, despite being on the Pill.

Though Mari, 32, adores her children Bobby, four, and Ivy Rose, two, she hated what pregnancy did to her body.

She was plagued by sickness, which made her crave sugary foods and comfort eat.

Her post-pregnancy shape after having Bobby damaged her self-esteem and Mari hated being seen naked by her partner David Bannatyne, 39.

She pushed him away to the extent they almost split up.

After having Ivy Rose, Mari overhauled her diet and shed seven stone to a much healthier 11st and a size ten.

Mari then asked David if he would have a vasectomy.

He obliged and the couple’s sex life is now better than ever.

Mari, who lives with David and the kids in Clydebank, West Dumbartonshire, says: “I’m just so grateful to David for agreeing to have the vasectomy.

“Gaining so much weight in pregnancy ruined my life and I couldn’t face going back there again.

“It was affecting me so much I didn’t want to have sex, even when I’d lost the weight.

“I was too afraid of falling pregnant and getting fat again.

“The operation has saved our relationship and my figure and we could not be happier.”

Mari was a comfortable 12st and wore a size 12 when she met quality-control inspector David in 2012.

Eight months later she was expecting their first child and soared to 18st 5lb, wearing a size 22.

Mari, a former student beauty therapist, says: “I craved takeaways, crisps and chocolate.

“I told myself it was fine to over-indulge because I was pregnant.

“I began to enjoy whatever I wanted. I thought I would put on some weight but not six stone.

“I was horrified but everyone said I was probably having a big baby.”

When Bobby arrived in December 2013, he weighed 7lb 13oz — just above the UK average for a boy — while Mari had gone up five dress sizes and felt miserable.

She says: “I didn’t feel blooming, I felt like a beached whale.

“I couldn’t believe I’d let myself gain so much weight.

“I loved being a mum but I hated what pregnancy did to my body.

“I kept comparing myself to other mums who hadn’t gained as much as me.”

When Bobby was five months old, Mari joined a metafit exercise class, combining core work and cardio.

But she was left mortified when the instructor assumed she was still pregnant.

She says: “He said something about pregnant women taking it easy and I was too embarrassed to admit I was fat, not pregnant. So I nodded and played along.

“I had tears in my eyes because I couldn’t believe it was happening.”

Mari was too ashamed to let David see her naked or have sex.

Her self-esteem hit rock bottom and when Bobby was seven months old, she asked David to move out.

She adds: “I knew it was me. I was so moody all the time, picking arguments and fights. David just couldn’t win.

“Deep down I hated myself because of my weight and was taking it out on him.”

Mari realised food had become an emotional crutch, so she signed up for the Cambridge Weight Plan, a meal replacement diet.

She says: “At that point I was like a food addict.

“Like many people with an addiction, I felt the best solution was to remove it from the picture.

“I knew I would fail otherwise.

“There was too much riding on this. I had to get strict.

“I loved David and wanted Bobby to grow up with his father.

“I lost 8lb in the first week by switching junk for calorie-controlled soups, shakes and bars.

“I knew then I could do it — and I would do it for David and Bobby. I was so relieved. I felt this was our new start.”

Nine weeks after she started the plan, David moved home and their sex life got back on track.

But in January 2015, when Bobby had just turned one and Mari was almost back down to 12st, she was shocked to discover she was pregnant again.

Mari says: “I was on the Pill and totally unprepared. I loved David, so there was no question, we were having our baby.

“But I was distraught at the thought of gaining all that weight again when I’d only just managed to lose it.

“I felt sick and tired throughout the pregnancy, so I ate anything I thought might help me feel better.

“When I saw the weight piling back on, I ate for comfort.”

When Ivy Rose was born in September 2015, Mari had ballooned to 18st.

She says: “I felt awful and recognised the same feelings of despair coming back.

“This time I was desperate for my weight not to come between us again.

“I knew what I had to do to lose it and keep it off.”

Mari rejoined Cambridge Weight Plan in January 2016 and lost seven stone, going back down to 11st and dropping from a size 22 to a size ten in just six months.

She maintained her weight with healthy meals and exercise but was tormented by the fear of getting pregnant again.

She says: “I felt I couldn’t cope with going through that again, so it was easier to avoid sex than risk getting pregnant and fat again.

“I was on the Pill but, as it had failed before, what’s to say it wouldn’t fail again?

“I felt awful turning David down but I couldn’t put my body or mind through it again.

“It almost destroyed our family last time.

“I eventually sat David down and told him that after all we had been through because of my size, I couldn’t face getting fat again.

“I asked if he would consider having a vasectomy, as I felt that was the only way I would ever relax.

“He was shocked but agreed to think about it.”

In June, David went under the knife — and now their sex life is better than ever.

Mari, who is now a Cambridge Weight Plan consultant, says: “Ever since, our sex life has been amazing.

“Thanks to losing weight I’ve got my confidence back and thanks to David’s snip, I plan to keep it that way.

“It might sound extreme but it’s worked for us. I joke that it’s the ultimate diet tip.”

David says: “I was shocked when Mari asked me to have a vasectomy. It isn’t something I thought I would ever do.

“We were using birth control but she still couldn’t relax because she was worried it would fail again.

“I love Mari whatever size and weight she is. But when she was at her heaviest, she was so unhappy.

“My family is my world, so of course I want Mari to be happy.

“The fear of getting pregnant and putting on weight was very real for her and when she explained it, I understood. That’s why I agreed.

“Since losing weight, her confidence is back and life is wonderful for us and our children.

“That is more important than anything. I didn’t want to risk that, so I decided I’d do it.

“Of course I was nervous — what bloke wouldn’t be? But it wasn’t that bad. Mari put her body through a lot to have children, so I suppose it was my turn.

“The operation has made a real difference to her and I’m really pleased I did it.

“I’m a very happy man now, put it that way.”

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