Thanks to her regular diet of takeaways, crisps, chocolate and cakes, mum of three Stacey McFarlane tips the scales at 19st.
But rather than taking responsibility for her weight she outrageously blames the benefits system for giving her too much money to splurge on fatty treats.
The 33 year old – who is a size 24 – claims £1,800 benefits a month and ends up with a weekly disposable income of £400, most of which she spends on food.
Speaking as statistics reveal the average UK household pays a staggering £893 a year in taxes to subsidise housing benefit, Stacey says: “I’ve always loved food and I get so much money from the Government I’m able to treat myself to whatever I fancy. I eat out three times a week, and often have Domino’s pizza and Chinese takeaways too.
“The extra money means it’s hard to not to spoil myself.”
“I have a couple of lagers three times a week and I smoke 40 cigarettes a day too, which costs £70 a week. My rent is covered by housing benefit and my bills are only around £160 a month.”
Worryingly, her son Jamie, 11, is three stone overweight at 10st, but Stacey can’t resist giving him unhealthy treats.
Stacey, who is 5ft 4 and has a BMI of 45 (the healthy range is 18-25), adds: “Jamie’s always had a big appetite and I find it hard to say no. I often buy him crisps and cakes because he kicks up a fuss otherwise. It's not my fault we're both overweight. If I got less benefits I wouldn’t be able to afford to feed us so much.”
Only child Stacey, who was raised by her grandparents after her parents split up when she was six, began steadily gaining weight in her early teens – by age 13 she weighed 12st.
Stacey – who lives in a three bed council house in Rochdale and has never worked apart from a six-month stint as a carer - says: “I’d have cheesy chips for lunch at school and then pie and chips for dinner. I was an emotional eater and turned to food if I was having a bad day. I wasn’t bothered about being slim, I was confident and had lots of friends.”
At 19, weighing 14 st, Stacey met Paul*, also 19, and fell pregnant with her son Declan a year later.
After Declan was born in 2001, Stacey, who left school at 15 without any qualifications, moved into a two-bed council house and started receiving £1,000 in benefits.
Then, eighteen months later, in January 2003, Stacey had a second son, Jamie, who was born deaf, and her benefits increased by £800 a month.
Stacey explains: “I was given £59 a week carer’s allowance as well as £150 a week child tax credits because of his disability. I was devastated by Jamie’s condition, but I had to admit the extra money was helpful.”
Within weeks of receiving the benefits, Stacey, then 16st, was spending the extra cash on food.
She says: “We started spending around £200 a week on junk food, and having Chinese takeaways or pizzas three times a week. I knew I was eating unhealthily but I couldn’t help myself. Paul was a healthy size and didn’t seem to put on weight easily.”
Stacey had her third child, a daughter, Jo Jo, in 2006 and now receives a further £200 per month in child tax credits.
“On a typical day I’ll have a fried egg and bacon roll for breakfast, fish and chips for lunch and a Domino’s pizza for dinner”
Stacey – who split with her partner a year after Jo Jo was born - says: “I have so much disposable cash I can't help spending it on food. I go to a carvery or to Frankie and Bennys three times a week with friends when the kids are at school. I have a three-course meal or a roast with all the trimmings, as well as a couple of lagers, costing around £30.”
But Stacey insists she cooks nutritious meals for her children.
She says: “They usually eat Coco Pops for breakfast, fish fingers and mash for lunch and meat and veg for dinner. But I find it hard to resist giving them treats like cream cakes and sweets as well.”
Stacey's weight peaked at 19st a year ago.
She says: “I'm not happy with my size but I don’t know what to do to change it. I’ve thought about going to the gym but I don’t want to be the fattest person there. My health has been affected – I get breathless just walking up a hill. It gets me down when I go shopping and I have to buy baggy, frumpy clothes. I’ve asked my GP about having a gastric band, but my BMI is not high enough to qualify.”
And Stacey admits she’s worried about son Jamie’s weight.
She says: “My other kids are a normal size but Jamie’s really big – I am worried about his health and my GP has referred us to a dietician. I admit I spoil him sometimes because of his disability, but I can't help thinking if we didn't have the money then I couldn’t feed him more, no matter how much he demanded it.”
Although Stacey blames both her and Jamie's obesity on the amount of benefit money she receives, she has no plans to ask for less or get a job.
She says: “I couldn’t work full-time because I need to be on hand for Jamie – he goes to a school for children with learning disabilities and has behavioural problems. But if I got a part-time job I’d lose some of my housing benefit. It doesn’t make sense, I’d be so much worse off
Stacey adds: “I have a nice lifestyle. I take the kids to school, sometimes have a nap and go out for lunch with friends. I’d hate to have the stress of a job. I do want both me and Jamie to lose weight, but as long as the Government keeps handing me money, it’s making it more difficult.”