By WENDY MILLER
A GRIEVING dad today told how binge eating left him battling obesity after his daughter fell to her death from a tower block in Glasgow.
Heartbroken John Smith resorted to “comfort eating” and piled on the pounds after four-year-old Natasha’s fatal fall from her bedroom window.
The youngster’s death in Easterhouse devastated her family and prompted a successful Evening Times campaign to have safety locks fitted on the windows of council homes across the city.
John, 37, who now lives in Tollcross with his wife Margaret, daughters Louise, 10, and Shannon Louise, 7, and son Daniel, 13, said: “My health problems started after we lost Natasha in 1999.
“We were still in shock and everything just got on top of me. It was a terrible time, a very stressful time. I got depressed and gave up work.
“I had my other children to look after and my wife who was pregnant at the time of Natasha’s death.
“My health was generally okay until after Natasha died. Then I needed my gallbladder removed and I had depression and sleep apnoea.”
As the weight piled on, laziness and binge eating compounded the problem.
John said: “Takeaways, Indian and Chinese meals were a big thing for me. I was a binge-eater. Laziness was an issue too. I would just throw things in the microwave. However, John has now shed six stones – thanks to an award-winning obesity clinic at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
The former baker has turned his life around since joining Glasgow Weight Management Service 18 months ago.
He said: “Before I went to the clinic I didn’t believe I was able to lose weight at all.
“I’d tried everything – diets, weight-loss tablets – but nothing worked.
“When I came here it was like I got re-educated. Now I know how to prepare fresh foods, how to eat a balanced diet and how to exercise.
“The big thing for me was playing football for the first time with my son Daniel . . . I’d never done that before because of my weight.
“I exercise regularly now. I’ve lost six stones. I’m still attending the group and I’m determined not to gain any more weight.”
Consultant clinical psychologist Dr Susan Boyle, who runs the clinic, said obesity was a “significant problem” in Glasgow.
She is part of a new team dedicated to curing one of the city’s most chronic and lifethreatening conditions.
Scotland’s first-ever obesity clinic was praised last month as the best in Britain by the National Obesity Forum.
The clinic is made up of psychologists, dieticians, physiotherapists and administrators. They try to offer a joined-up approach to a debilitating and complex illness.
Dr Boyle said: “What we do here is look at the whole picture. Obesity won’t go away overnight but we are confident that we’re on the right track.
“Obesity is linked to a number of chronic health problems, including diabetes, bowel cancer and sleeprelated respiratory conditions such as sleep apnoea.”
THE scale of Glasgow’s obesity problem is underlined by the 2500 referrals the clinic has received since its launch in December 2004.
Referrals come from mostly GPs and patients must have a body mass index (BMI) of over 30 – if they have health problems – and over 35 without.
But being clinically obese is not enough to get you into the clinic.
Dr Boyle said: “Every individual is given a comprehensive assessment. We discuss their health and lifestyle and assess their motivations.
“There are sacrifices to be made . . . people have to want to change their lifestyles.”
Patients are encouraged to lose weight slowly, aiming to shed around two pounds each week and keep it off by making permanent lifestyle changes.
Dietician Natalie Jones said: “We give patients a highly nutritious balanced diet, low in fat and high in starchy carbohydrates.
“We also encourage them to eat regular meals, particularly the importance of eating breakfast.”
Initially members embark on a six-month programme, are assessed regularly and attend a group session once a fortnight.
They are also encouraged to go to twice-weekly circuit classes run by resident physiotherapist Kim Ferrier, with exercise programmes tailored to each individual.
During group sessions patients explore their eating patterns and how to change them for the better.
Dr Boyle said: “We look at things like emotional triggers for over-eating, which can be anything from boredom to anxiety.”
wendy. miller@eveningtimes. co. uk
TRAGEDY . . . BECAUSE A GBP12 WINDOW LOCK WAS NOT FITTED
LITTLE Natasha Smith died when she fell 40ft from her bedroom window in Easterhouse in 1999.
The four-year-old had been playing in her room when she fell through a window which had no safety catch . . . which would have cost the council just GBP12 to fit.
Following the tragedy, the Evening Times successfully backed a plea from her devastated parents John and Margaret for window locks to be fitted as standard in council homes.
An investigation revealed 30,000 homes in the city did not have safety catches and 57,000 of Glasgow’s 85,000 council homes needed new windows.
After Natasha’s death, the city council agreed to set aside GBP1.5million to fix windows over a three-year period.
In a damning fatal accident inquiry, Sheriff Linda Ruxton condemned the council for failing to install a safety catch as a “reasonable precaution”, which could have prevented her death.
She said: “I have concluded that the bedroom window through which Natasha fell was such that it presented an obvious danger to children, and in particular to Natasha and the other children in the house.”
Glasgow Sheriff Court heard a GBP12 window lock could have saved Natasha’s life.
The family called for the inquiry so the full facts of the tragedy would be known.
(c) 2006 Evening Times; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Comments