Christina Togher, 31, from Castlebar in County Mayo, Ireland, has always been ‘a bigger person’ and at her heaviest, she tipped the scale at 22 stone (308lbs) and wore a size XL to XXL in clothing
03:11 ET, 26 Nov 2025Updated 03:14 ET, 26 Nov 2025
Christina said she feels ‘so much happier’ now
A woman who once tipped the scales at 22 stone (308lbs) after using food to cope with her emotions has managed to shed the equivalent of a “full-grown man” thanks to a dedicated diet and exercise plan.
Christina Togher, a 31 year old from Castlebar in County Mayo, Ireland, struggled with anxiety and was severely bullied as a child, leading her to seek comfort in food.
Working as a manager at a local coffee shop, she saw her weight continue to climb throughout her late teens and early 20s. At her heaviest, Christina weighed in at 22 stone (308lbs) and wore size XL to XXL clothing.
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Despite losing weight during her university years, dropping down to 11 stone (154lbs), her old habits resurfaced when she took a job as a chef, causing her to gain back 7st 12lbs (110lbs) until she reached 18st 12lbs (265lbs) in March 2024.
PA REAL LIFE: Christina said she has ‘fallen in love’ with exercise. Christina Togher, 31, who “ate her feelings” and weighed 22 stone at her heaviest has got her life back after she lost the size of a “full-grown man” by following a diet and exercise regime. Issue date: Wednesday November 26, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story REAL LIFE WeightLoss. Photo credit should read: Handout/PA Real Life
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As her 30th birthday approached and everyday tasks became increasingly difficult due to her size, Christina decided it was time for a change. She enlisted the help of a personal trainer and embarked on a journey to transform her life.
From March 2024 to June of this year, Christina lost an impressive 13st 7lbs (189lbs), bringing her current weight down to 8st 7lbs (119lbs). Thanks to a structured food plan and consistent exercise routine, she now feels “so much happier” within herself, reports the Mirror.
“It’s crazy when you start putting numbers on it, it’s actually crazy to think that I’ve lost the weight of a full-grown man,” said Christina. “If something’s bothering me, I now take it out in the gym instead of eating my feelings. I feel so much happier, I have more energy and I don’t hurt as much as I did.
“It’s all about consistency and showing up – keep showing up for you, your kids, your loved ones and know that change is possible.”
Christina revealed she has always been “a bigger person.”
“Even as a kid, I was that bit bigger and it stemmed from different issues,” Christina said. “I suffer from anxiety, I was bullied severely as a kid because of my weight and I tended to eat my feelings.
“My weight made me feel so self-conscious but I didn’t deal with it.”
Her weight loss was equivalent to the weight of a full grown man
Christina explained she continued to pile on the pounds and at her heaviest, in her late teens and early 20s, she tipped the scales at 22 stone (308lbs), squeezing into a size XL to XXL in clothing depending on the brand. After attempting various “fad diets” without success, Christina said she began shedding pounds when she headed to university in Ireland, where she pursued accounting and finance for four years.
“I went down to a size 12 jeans, I dieted, I started exercising,” she said. “I weighed around 11 stone (154lbs) and that was my lowest weight at that point.”
After landing a chef position in County Mayo, Christina admitted she “lost all (her) good habits.”
“I lost my love of walking and running and the old habits came back hard,” she revealed. Christina explained she would grab “fast, convenience food”, including takeaways, bread rolls, wraps and chocolate biscuits.
She subsequently put on around 7st 12lbs (110lbs) until she tipped the scales at 18st 12lbs (265lbs) in March 2024. During this period, Christina confessed she “stopped going out.”
PA REAL LIFE: Christina lost over 13 stone. Christina Togher, 31, who “ate her feelings” and weighed 22 stone at her heaviest has got her life back after she lost the size of a “full-grown man” by following a diet and exercise regime. Issue date: Wednesday November 26, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story REAL LIFE WeightLoss. Photo credit should read: Handout/PA Real Life
Christina did not use pills, jabs or surgery to lose weight
“I stopped wearing nice outfits and I was hiding in baggy clothes,” she explained. “I was in a really bad place mentally, and I went back to eating my emotions instead of dealing with them in a healthy way.”
Facing the milestone of turning 30 in July 2024, Christina acknowledged she needed to tackle her issues. “I was tired all the time and everything hurt – even a basic, everyday task, like walking up a flight of stairs, was such a struggle,” she recalled.
“I knew I didn’t want to hit my 30s, I didn’t want to hit that new decade, feeling this bad.”
Resolved to transform her life for the better, Christina began researching local personal trainers – when her future trainer, Nicky Kearney, entered her workplace to grab a coffee. Wondering, ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’, Christina said she “bit the bullet” and contacted him for assistance.
“Nicky went through it all with me – my lifestyle, my diet, my exercise routine,” she said. “He made me realise that it wasn’t such a big thing in my head, that I’d made a mountain out of something that shouldn’t have been a mountain.”
Over the following two months, Christina began boosting her step count with lengthy strolls and concentrated on her nutrition by tracking calories and following a meal plan. Having always dreamed of trying weightlifting, Christina signed up at a gym where her personal trainer developed daily fitness routines for her to tackle – but her initial session ended with her fleeing in tears.
“I walked in and I saw all these muscly people that were boxers, toned, skinny…” she said. “In my head, I thought I looked so bad beside these people and I had to leave in tears.”
Christina contacted Nicky for encouragement and mustered the bravery to head back to the gym alongside her trainer. “Nicky got me to see that no one was actually watching me and everybody is in there for themselves,” Christina said, adding the realization was “brilliant” for her confidence.
Between March 2024 and June this year, Christina maintained laser-like determination with her nutrition and fitness regimens. She steadily dropped 3lbs (42lbs) each week, which “spurred (her) on to keep going.”
Christina now weighs 8st 7lbs (119lbs). From her heaviest, at 22 stone 308lbs), she has lost 13st 7lbs (189lbs).
According to the latest data from an NHS health survey for England, which was conducted in 2022, the average weight for an adult man was 189lbs.
Christina now fits into a size eight in jeans and a size XS or small in tops. Outlining a typical day’s worth of meals, Christina said she will now have an oat protein shake with fruit for breakfast, high-protein wraps with falafel for lunch and a mixture of proteins and vegetables for dinner.
“For me, it’s diet and exercise – I’m on a food plan so I meal-prep and it’s all calorie counted,” she said. “I do weight training five days a week with two rest days, I do 30 minutes on the Stairmaster as my cardio and I get between 10,000 to 12,000 steps every day.”
Christina’s mental health has also dramatically improved. “I look forward to the days where I can go to the gym and be in a world of my own, it’s just me time,” she said.
Christina said she is now buddies with the boxers and bodybuilders from her gym, she wears outfits she never used to and she grabs fruit or rice cakes instead of unhealthy snacks.
She has also cut down her caffeine intake, she said takeaways are “few and far between” and she has quit drinking alcohol – only having a drink once or twice a year. She added: “I’ve repaired my relationship with food and I’ve fallen in love with exercise – I now know how to maintain this lifestyle in a healthy way.”
Following her incredible weight loss journey, Christina revealed she’s been left with loose skin, particularly around her midsection and arms.
At her heaviest, Christina weighed over 300 pounds
She’s now seeking skin removal surgery in Dublin, with her personal trainer launching a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the estimated $11,617.45 (£8,819) cost.
Since the procedure is considered cosmetic, it’s not covered by Ireland’s public healthcare system. “It would mean so much to get the surgery because it’s the last thing that makes me self-conscious,” Christina explained.
“It would make me feel beautiful again.”
To learn more, visit Christina’s GoFundMe page here: gofundme.com/f/9mrj9q-help-pay-for-surgery.