I ran 103 marathons in my front room

WINCING at pictures of herself on holiday, Rita Celik vowed to keep her 18st body housebound.

She thought there was nothing she could do about her size 22 figure — she was too big and embarrassed to exercise in front of anyone.

But a very different sort present from her husband Ali changed all that.

Her thoughtful hubby gave Rita a treadmill and, in 15 months, she had completed a staggering 103 marathons without leaving her home — and halved her size.

Rita, who is now 9st and a size eight, is dedicated to helping others who feel too fat to get fit.

The mum-of-two says: “When Ali bought home the treadmill, it was as if this was my one chance to change my life and I became addicted.

“It was perfect. Many people feel too embarrassed to go to the gym in case people laugh at them. That was my fear — I couldn’t look in the mirror, let alone leave the house — so Ali was a genius. I could exercise in private.

”The 32-year-old, from Enfield, North London, says her battle with her weight began when she had her first child Halil, now nine.

She gained even more weight after the birth of Daniel, now three.

She admits her daily diet was greasy takeaways, kebabs, chips, crisps and bread — stacking up over 2,800 calories a day.

At 18st Rita became reclusive and she found solace in unhealthy snacks.

Before ... the holiday snap that made her miserable

She says: “I felt fat and disgusting and was lacking motivation. I’d only ever leave the house if I had to and never wanted to leave the sofa. In all honesty, I thought I was a lost cause.

“My thighs would rub and I felt exhausted at the smallest tasks.

“Even walking up the stairs proved a daily battle and I couldn’t run around after my children. I felt like a slug.

”In March 2013, she reluctantly went on a family break. She dressed in baggy clothes and never revealed her body.

She says: “When I got home and saw some of the photos I felt sick.

“The realisation of how big I was made me despair. It sent me into an even deeper hole and I wanted to lock the door on life.

“My husband could see how uncomfortable I was and always told me he loved me no matter my shape or size.”

A month later Ali, 37, a shop assistant, ordered the £400 surprise gift from eBay.

Rita says: “Most husbands bring you flowers as a gift, maybe even chocolates. When my husband said the package was for me and we opened the treadmill, I laughed in his face.

“I thought it was a joke, but he was deadly serious. It was something I could do behind closed doors in my own time.”

In June 2013, Rita eased herself into exercise with a fast walk. Every day she would don her gym kit, power up the machine and gradually increase her speed and distance.

She says: “I started with 15 minutes a day. Within a couple of months I could see the progress.”

She also changed her carb-heavy diet, upping her protein intake and replacing pizza with vegetables, fish and green tea. In seven months she had shed an amazing 8st and six dress sizes from her 5ft 3in frame.

Clocking up the miles ... Rita on her treadmill Stewart Williams

Rita says: “I had this sudden light bulb moment and convinced myself that it was all down to me.

“I had made so many excuses for my weight and health but the reality was, I had the power to change. On top of my healthy eating, I began to replace walking on the treadmill with running.

“What started off as 15 minutes a day, escalated to running a mile in 30 minutes. After four months I ran three miles in 40 minutes.”

In ten months, Rita was running around 5miles a day, five times a week — totalling more than a marathon at 26.2miles. By March 2014 she had lost a huge 9st in total, clocking up 2,700 miles on the machine — roughly the distance on foot from London to Potenza, in southern Italy, and back — the equivalent of 103 marathons.

Rita explains: “I felt incredible and was half the size I once was.

“My children couldn’t believe how I had transformed and Ali loved the new me.”

Rita started to leave the comfort of her home that had been her safe house for nearly two years.

She says: “I would start running outdoors and pass friends I hadn’t seen for a while. I’d say hello and they’d stare at me confused. They didn’t recognise me at first.”

Newly confident, Rita ditched her size 22 wardrobe in favour of size eight training gear and started personal training sessions to further improve her fitness levels.

She has now decided to help others who are stuck indoors, unmotivated like she was.

She says: “I started a personal training course and I’m due to qualify soon. I’m proof that anyone can change their life, even if they are too scared to step outside.

“I closed the door on the world but came out a different person — all because of a treadmill.”

What just one marathon does to you

— CAUSES you to burn around 2,500 calories.

— FEET hit the ground approximately 50,000 times.

— AVERAGE person experiences a drop in body mass of about 2-3lbs.

— MAKES you lose almost half an inch in height during a race. This height loss is a result of the back muscles tensing under strenuous conditions.

— HUMAN beings are the best long-distance runners, beating horses and cheetahs.