Obese student who lost 145lbs after being told she had a ‘fat ass’ has the last laugh by REJECTING the bullies who now want to date her
Emma Pope even gets asked for diet tips these days
A WOMAN who was viciously bullied about her weight has had the last laugh - by dropped 10 STONE and rejecting the guys who made her life hell.
Emma Pope, 23, was 22st 7lbs at her heaviest and was cruelly taunted for her weight.
Once when she was playing volleyball she had to put up with mortifying abuse as onlookers screamed at her to stop playing because of her siz.
At her largest she was a size 28, with Emma piling on the pounds by gorging on pasta and pizza.
"I was bullied a lot at school but I never told my parents, I bottled it all up and never said anything about the hurtful comments kids made, they were pretty awful to me," she said.
"I was referred to as 'the fat girl' all the time, but the worst moment happened during a volleyball match, when I was hurled abuse at because of the outfit I was wearing.
"A bunch of guys yelled that I should get my 'fat ass off the court' and crazy stuff, it got so bad they had to be escorted away by the police.
"In another incident, one guy asked me why my legs were so big and another classic quote I regularly received was that I had 'such a pretty face for a fat girl'."
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Eventually Emma decided to make a change.
She started working out four days a week, cut out carbs and reduced the size of her portions.
She lost 10st, but even better Emma had the joy of TURNING DOWN the men who'd previously bullied her when they hit on her.
"Even after losing 60lb at the beginning of my weight loss guys treated me completely differently, it was unreal," she said.
"I've had messages from guys telling me how sorry they are for what they said to me, it really shocks them to see me now.
"I don't think they expected me to turn out this way and they regret being so horrible.
"I doubt they are apologising out the kindness of their heart, there's definitely an ulterior motive so with any attempts to flirt with me I reject them immediately.
"It's quite offensive that it took me losing weight for them to even consider speaking to me.
"I've had plenty of apology messages now, even one of the girls who used to call me fat got in touch wanting advice on how to lose weight.
"While the cruel comments were upsetting and difficult to deal with when I was younger, I just laugh it off now because I look and feeling great."
Emma started dieting at 17 and managed to lose 3st in the first year.
She kept it up, and earlier this year she hit her goal weight.
Emma's diet before
Breakfast – nothing
Lunch – half a cheese pizza and a large slushy ice drink
Dinner – four large portions of pasta with cheese
Dessert – ice cream
Snacks – a bowl of sugary cereal
"When you're a kid you don't pay attention to your diet," she said
"I was way out of control with my portion sizes, I always ate too much and it was always cheese, pasta or bread.
"I told myself being overweight was part of who I was and who I would be forever.
"After deciding to change my life I had to learn to cope with my emotions in a healthy way, before I was definitely an emotional eater."
Emma's diet after
Breakfast – an egg with black beans, jalapenos, tomatoes, mushrooms and avocado
Lunch – steel cut oatmeal with egg whites and banana
Dinner – eggs with sweet potato, broccoli and roasted carrots
Snacks – quest bar or Greek yoghurt with chia seeds