I got stuck on a slide in front of son — I lost 136 pounds to get life back

It’s a sliding scale.

A Washington, DC, mom who weighed 252 pounds has had gastric sleeve surgery after becoming stuck on a slide while playing with her young son at a local park.

Sara Lockett, 25, said she was forced to reckon with her size after the humiliating incident, which saw her being pulled off the play equipment by her husband.

“One time my son was too scared to go down the slide on his own and wanted us to go on together,” Lockett recalled in an interview with Caters News. “So, I tried to go on with him, and when the slide took a turn, I got stuck and couldn’t go down any further.”

The mortified mama continued, “My husband had to come over and pull me out. That moment is burned into my memory. I knew I had to try something else to get my life back.”

Lockett — who is a mom to daughter Ameliana, 4, and son Roman, 2 — said she started piling on the pounds during her pregnancies, suffering from preeclampsia (high blood pressure) and gestational diabetes. 

“I also didn’t have the best diet and suffered from binging,” the mom admitted. “I’d eat what I could during the day, and then have two dinners in the evening and lots of snacks.”

Lockett said she would consume 3,000 calories per day, chowing down on Pop-Tarts for breakfast before indulging in a burger, chicken nuggets and a large sugary soda for lunch.

For her two dinners, Lockett would often have homemade fried chicken with macaroni and cheese on the side.

After the humiliating slide incident, Lockett said she tried to lose weight naturally by changing up her diet and starting to exercise.

However, she didn’t make any progess and was subsequently diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, which would make her weight loss harder. Doctors suggested she try a gastric sleeve as a tool for weight loss and to help balance her hormones. 

“I had my surgery in September 2021 and, luckily, my insurance paid for 98% of it,” the mom stated. “I had mixed feelings about the surgery. I was so excited, but I knew it would also be a mental journey where I had to work on balancing my lifestyle and my relationship with food.”

“After the surgery, I went through the recovery stages. I had to start with a liquid diet before moving on to a soft food diet while I adjusted to my new stomach,” Lockett revealed. “The weight started coming off, and it was really encouraging, but I started seeing massive changes when I began working out six weeks after my surgery.”

Lockett had a goal weight of 153 pounds, but she now tips the scales at 116 pounds, thanks to her regular workouts and new healthy eating habits.

Now, this model of healthy eating dines on egg whites with spinach and tomatoes for breakfast and a small plate of rice, steamed vegetables and minced turkey for lunch. For dinner, Lockett has chicken or shrimp wrapped in lettuce leaves instead of carb-heavy tortillas.

The active mom said she now feels better than ever and has finally “got her life back.”

“I feel better than I have ever felt. I can run around with my kids and play with them at the park,” she enthused. “I certainly don’t have to worry about not fitting down the slide with them now.”