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A British woman who once weighed some 322 pounds says breaking a roller coaster seat during an amusement park outing was the motivation she needed to work toward a healthier weight.
Four years ago, Danielle Wright, 27, went to the Alton Towers theme park in Staffordshire, England, with her sister. She told news agency SWNS that she wanted to avoid roller coasters while at the park, fearing she was too big for them. But she was ultimately convinced to give it a try and boarded one of the rides. She managed to fit in the seat but had trouble wedging the safety bar over her midsection.
DAD WHO WEIGHED 322 POUNDS SHEDS HALF HIS WEIGHT AFTER THEME-PARK INCIDENT: 'THAT DID IT FOR ME'
“Fitting in the seat was bad enough, but when it came to pulling down the safety bar, my stomach stopped it from working,” she recalled. “One of the employees, who was quite good looking, came over and had to put his foot against the ride and push extra hard in order to click to bar down over my tummy.”
Danielle Wright before her amazing weight loss. (SWNS)
Wright, who called the experience “hellish,” said she was worried throughout the duration of the ride that the “bar was going to pop open and I was going to be thrown off the tracks.”
When the ride ended, Wright said the bar sprang up and “made a huge noise.” Shortly after, she heard an announcement over the loudspeaker saying the ride was temporarily closed due to a broken seat.
Danielle Wright lost nearly 200 pounds. (SWNS)
Albeit embarrassing, the incident presented a silver lining to Wright, who told SWNS, “It's what I needed to motivate me to shed pounds.”
Wright drastically changed her diet and began to exercise, eventually seeing life-changing results. She cut back on carbs, swapping foods like chocolate for healthier options such as apples and yogurt. A lunch of chicken and bacon wraps, Doritos and cake was replaced with tuna salad. She replaced fries for chicken and steamed vegetables at dinner time.
Danielle Wright before she lost weight. (SWNS)
In addition to changing her diet, she also began participating in cardio-focused workout classes.
“I ate plenty of salads and saved the bulk of my daily calories to enjoy a larger meal in the evening,” she said. "I found once I got into the swing of things I was able to stick to it."
Danielle Wright was motivated into losing nearly 200 pounds after she broke a roller coaster seat. (SWNS)
"My absolute weakness was pastries, now I don't go anywhere near them,” she added.
In November 2016, Wright found out she was pregnant with her son, Noah. But as tempted as she was, she didn’t allow herself to eat unhealthy foods while pregnant and stuck to her new diet.
Danielle Wright with her son, Noah. (SWNS)
"The hardest part of my journey was when I was breastfeeding. I was absolutely ravenous and wanted to shove anything in sight in my mouth,” she recalled.
Danielle right before her weight loss (left) and after. (SWNS)
Wright now weighs some 140 pounds, she told SWNS.
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“Being able to run and play with my little boy is the best part of it all, I couldn’t have asked for a better reward,” she said.
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