Valiant girl who lost 7 stone tells how sick ‘pulling fatties’ game in Salou scarred her for life
It was a dare to ‘pull fatties’
Tom JenkinA sick game where lads pulled overweight girls and took photos left a mark on Sam Akerman.
While on hockey tour in Salou, one boy approached her and asked to kiss her, while his friends laughed with their cameras poised at the ready.
“It was just the most horrific incident. It didn’t spur me to lose weight it just made me turn to food which I thought would make me feel better. I used food as my comfort. It was a vicious circle.”
Now Sam has lost seven stone, dropping from 22 stone to 15. But being the butt of jokes in bars and on hockey tour lives in her memory.
The former Bucks New Uni student, now 29, said: “I was only a social member of the club. I was too big to play.
“He wasn’t from the same university. It was a male team, they were all together in a group and I was with all the girls. He approached me and one of his mates was next to me with a camera.
“He was obviously on a bet or a dare and all his mates were laughing. I still carry the emtoional weight around with me.”
The shocking incident made her lose confidence and feel like a laughing stock.
She added: “It happens in bars and clubs and it happened often. It made me quite defensive in normal social situations. It made me lose confidence when normally I’m a social bubbly girl. I would never let people approach me.”
The Police studies graduate from High Wycombe now helps students to lose weight in group therapy classes. She says experiences like hers only push people to eat more.
“This sort of tormenting doesn’t help you lose weight, you don’t actually realise what you’re doing to them.
“It got in the way of my love life. I never had a boyfriend at uni or anyone constant in my life because of the lack of confidence. I wish I could relive uni with the figure I have now.”
Sam’s weight meant she missed out certain aspects of university life. She was too big to play hockey but still enjoyed the social side.
“I had the best uni experience ever but I missed out on certain things. I never was able to play sport. There’s other things I could’ve got more involved in.
“For students to be in that environment and not feel comfortable about their weight is horrible. Before, I had no control over how I looked or how people were treating me, but now I have lost the weight I have found the confidence from somewhere.
“I miss hockey tour and I’m jealous of people going this year – I would go again with my figure now. I just want other current students to feel the same.”