A woman who weighed almost 16 stone was inspired to lose weight after receiving a cruel comment from a stranger on Tinder.
Alexandra Ulverich, 32, from Southampton, was once a size 16-18 and weighed 15st 9lbs – but has since lost an impressive 6st 5lbs.
She said she would ‘comfort eat’, indulge in two takeaways a week and ‘share-size’ chocolate bars.
But less than two years on, she now weighs 9st 4lbs and pole dances.
Alexandra began her weight loss journey following a shocking remark from a man on dating website Tinder after she politely turned him down.
Alexandra Ulverich, 32, lost almost a third of her body weight after receiving a cruel comment from a man on Tinder (pictured as a size 6 after weight loss)
The Southampton law graduate said she would ‘comfort eat’, eating two takeaways a week and ‘portion size’ chocolate bars (pictured as a size 16-18 before her weight loss)
He shamelessly told her: ‘A woman that big, you’ll be lucky anyone shows interest’.
The international corporate law graduate said: ‘I had always been slim but really started putting on weight in my twenties.
‘I was miserable and when a man on a dating website commented on my weight I knew I had to do something about it.
“Now I’m so much more confident.”
In her teenage years Alexandra, who is 5ft 4in, 9st 8lbs and wore size 8-10 clothing.
But she struggled with anxiety and emetophobia – a fear of throwing up or witnessing other people being sick.
At 24, she started comfort eating after her anxiety became ‘so bad she couldn’t leave the house’ and said anti-depressants prescribed by the doctor were not helping.
Alexandra devoured two burgers or pizzas a week, chocolate bars the same size – while even cooking from home meant huge portions of pasta and rice.
Alexandra was a size 16-18, weighed 15st 9lbs (left) – but has lost an impressive 6st 5lbs in less than two years (right)
As a result she gained 5st 7lbs and by the time she was 30 she weighed 15st 9lbs and wore size 16-18 clothes.
Alexandra, now a dress size 6-8, commented: ‘I hated my body. I couldn’t stand shopping for clothes because nothing would fit me and when I did find something it just looked hideous.
“I no longer recognized myself.”
Alexandra tried different diets but found she could never shift the pounds.
She explains: ‘I thought to lose weight I didn’t have to eat anything.
‘I was too restrictive and ended up craving unhealthy food even more. I had no idea about nutrition.’
After receiving the comment from a stranger on Tinder, she said: ‘I knew I was overweight but hearing it from someone else was annoying.
‘I stepped on the scale and when I saw that I weighed 15.9kg I couldn’t believe my eyes.
She said she ‘hated’ her body before she lost the weight and thought she looked ‘frumpy’ in the clothes
Alexandra began planning meals and controlling her portions, and started dancing and working out with kettlebells
‘Enough was enough. I had to make a change for myself. I was tired of being unhappy.’
In May 2022, Alexandra started walking 10,000 steps every day and limited herself to 2,000 calories.
After a few months she reduced this to 1600 calories.
She planned meals and made sure her portions were controlled, but ultimately ate whatever she wanted—she never skipped dessert.
For dinner, Alexandra often had homemade burgers and incorporated plenty of protein and vegetables into her diet.
Within a year, Alexandra lost 5st and in May 2023 she started pole dancing and training with kettlebells at home five to six times a week.
Alexandra had previously tried diets and could never shift the weight, but made more changes after a cruel comment on Tinder (pictured before)
She started walking 10,000 steps every day and limited herself to 2,000 calories, which she later reduced to 1,600 (pictured after)
Alexandra says: ‘I was still struggling with my anxiety, but the training really boosted my mood.
‘I started to feel so much fitter and it became easier to exercise.’
Now, less than two years on, Alexandra weighs 9st 4lbs and is a size 6-8.
She added: ‘It took a while to see results but when I did it felt amazing. I now get lots of compliments from people telling me how good I look.
‘I love shopping because I know I can dress the way I want. When I look in the mirror, I feel happy.