A once obese mum of four dropped 168 lbs and has gone on to become a pro bikini athlete. At her heaviest, 36-year-old Claire Bierton of Hatfield tipped the scales at 280 lbs. She struggled with anxiety and depression, along with constant stomach issues and persistent joint pain.
“I was a healthy weight when I was younger,” Claire said. “I never had any issues with food, but once I started having kids, things shifted. The weight just slowly piled on, and one day, I looked in the mirror and barely recognised myself.”
As her weight piled on, so did the toll it took on her relationship with her four children. “I couldn’t even take my kids to the park anymore,” she said. “My ankles were huge, and my joints ached so badly that walking was painful. I was in and out of the doctor’s office, and at one point, they even thought I had fibromyalgia, but it turned out I was just severely overweight. On top of that, I had constant digestive problems, which they later traced back to my unhealthy diet.”
Looking back at that time, Claire acknowledged her eating habits were “very out of control”. “I’d have Chinese takeaway three times a week and purposely over-order so I could eat the leftovers for breakfast the next morning,” she explained. “By 11 a.m., I’d make a full fry up with eggs, sausages, and hash browns. Then, I’d snack all day and finish with more takeout. I was spending about £80 a week on junk food.”
Her unhealthy eating habits continued into the night. “I’d wake up at 2 a.m., go downstairs, and eat an entire family-sized chocolate bar or a bag of crisps. The next morning, I’d see all the wrappers and feel disgusted with myself,” she admitted. But Claire’s issues with food were just one piece of the puzzle. She was also stuck in a difficult relationship, which she believes played a big part in her emotional eating.
“He constantly made cruel remarks about my weight. I’ll never forget when he told me I was fat and would always be fat. That stuck with me, and it hurt deeply.”
Despite multiple attempts to lose weight through programmes like Slimming World and Weight Watchers, nothing worked. “I was on steroids and medication to help with my joint pain, and my weight just kept going up,” she recalled. “One day, I looked at my kids and realised I wasn’t being fair to them. I was huge, depressed, and miserable. I knew I had to make a change – for them and myself.”
During the second COVID-19 lockdown, Claire decided to take control of her life. She started using the MyFitnessPal app to track her calories. “I was eating 2,200 calories a day, which was calculated based on my BMI,” she explained. “I also bought an exercise bike – and later a treadmill – and found a woman on YouTube for workout videos. I’d get up at 5am before the kids got up for homeschooling. At first, it was rough. I had terrible headaches from cutting out sugar, and I was always hungry and grumpy. But I knew I had to stick with it.”
And stick with it; she did. “The weight started coming off, and in under a year, I lost 12 stone (168 pounds),” Claire expressed. “When lockdown lifted, and I saw people again, they didn’t even recognise me! Some even thought I’d gone to Turkey for gastric surgery,” she laughed.
After losing the weight, Claire found herself at a crossroads. She had reached her goal, but she needed a new challenge. That’s when she stumbled across bikini competitions on Instagram. “I saw these women posing in bikinis and thought, ‘Why not me?’ I got in touch with a coach (Ash Chivers of Team Apex), and he put me on a competition prep plan. That year, I entered my first competition in the FMC Transformation category and came in second.”
For Claire, bodybuilding became more than a physical transformation – it was a mental one, too. “I was in such a dark place before,” she reflected. “Bodybuilding gave me something to focus on and allowed me to reclaim my life. It’s not just about how I look but how I feel. The discipline and structure have helped me immensely.”
Claire’s journey didn’t stop there. She’s channelling her experience into helping others. “I’ve started an online coaching course to help women (and men) reach their fitness goals,” she revealed. “There are loads of fitness coaches out there, but not many have actually been through what their clients are dealing with. I know how tough it is to lose weight because I’ve been there myself. I’m studying advanced nutrition and sports nutrition so I can create personalised diet and training plans that really work. I’ll be available anytime my clients need me, whether it’s through WhatsApp, meeting up in person, or hopping on Zoom.”
Next year, Claire is gearing up for her ninth bikini competition. “The prep is intense, but I love it. My coach checks in daily, adjusting my carbs and other aspects of my diet based on my progress. It’s all about balance and staying focused.”
Claire’s Tips for Others Wanting to Lose Weight
Drawing from her own journey, Claire offers valuable advice for those looking to make a change:
Find Your Motivation
“If you’re not ready, you won’t stick to it,” she emphasised. “I can’t explain it – a switch just flipped in my mind one day. I looked at my lifestyle with tunnel vision. When I look back, I realise I wasn’t mentally ready before and was always making excuses. You have to find your motivation – it doesn’t come to you. No one is going to do it for you. You won’t always be motivated but you have to be disciplined. It sounds cliche but consistency really is the key”
Don’t Do It Alone
“You don’t have to do it alone. You need a good group of people to help you with your journey,” Claire advised. “When I lost weight I lost friends. They wouldn’t invite me over anymore because they said, ‘No point – she doesn’t eat anything anyway,’ and stopped inviting me for dinners and birthdays. Meeting new people who are on the same journey as me helped me stay connected.”
Push Through the Lack of Motivation
“Remember, you may not feel motivated every day, but you have to push through, even when you’re not feeling it,” she encouraged. “If you really want something, you can make it happen. A lot of people find that the gym is not just for working out; it’s also good for your mindset. No one is forcing me to go to the gym; I go for me.”