Manchester uni student drops NINE dress sizes
Jennifer ditched her junk food diet and lost half her body weight in a year!
A former Manchester student has been crowned Slimming World's Miss Slinky 2017 after a holiday clothes shop buying size 26 dresses shocked her into losing almost 10 stone.
The 26-year-old from Liverpool posted her weight-loss journey on Instagram - attracting 75,000 fans with her remarkable transformation.
Now she's hoping to inspire even more people after winning a national award for her weight loss and becoming the cover star of Slimming World Magazine.
Jennifer's says the turning point was when she was forced to buy size-26 clothes for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Florida with her family and was left devastated by the photos from the trip:
“I’d been a fairly averaged-size child but I was a size 18 by the time I went to university in Manchester. Living away from home saw me gain even more weight and I was around 5st heavier when I graduated. I’d tried so many diets in the past, but all of them seemed to make food the enemy, so I never addressed my relationship with over-eating and nothing seemed to work for me.
“When I found myself buying size-26 clothes for the holiday I’d been looking forward to for so long, I knew something had to change. I had to ask for a seatbelt extender on the plane, I spent our time there having to ride on the adjusted seats for larger people and I was horrified when I saw the photos. One picture of me with the Little Mermaid - my favourite Disney character - actually made me gasp. I saw myself in a whole new light - I looked so unhealthy that I cried, wondering how and why I had done that to myself.”
Jennifer joined the Kirkby Slimming World group in May 2015 along with mum Janet and her sister Christine, and together they began following the Food Optimising healthy eating plan. She says: “We got such a warm welcome from everyone and I can honestly say that walking into that Slimming World group was without doubt the best thing I have ever done in my life. I’d been a Slimming World member before but this time it just clicked, I think because I just didn’t want to waste any more of my life being overweight and disliking myself for it.”
In fact, Jennifer, a Citizens Advice caseworker, says that the biggest change since her 9st 9lbs weight loss has been to her positive mentality: “Before I lost weight I had a massive lack of belief in myself and I feel like I wasted so many years with fake smiles that hid how unhappy I was. I was a serial failed-dieter and could never understand how I could achieve so much in other areas of my life, yet I couldn’t control what I ate. Finally taking control of my weight was such a huge turning point for me, both physically and mentally.
“My boyfriend Luke and I have been together for more than 11 years and I always used to discourage him from proposing because I couldn’t imagine myself as a bride being the size I was. I reached my target weight just over a year after joining Slimming World and just before Christmas Luke asked me to marry him! It was such an incredible feeling to be able to say ‘Yes!’ without even a second thought about my weight, and I can’t wait to go dress shopping.”
And it’s not just Jennifer who has benefitted from her amazing transformation, she’s already inspired lots of other people to embark on their own weight-loss journeys, too: “A really key part of my journey was keeping an online food diary so that I could chart my progress. From day one I posted my meals on my Instagram account and it really helped me to stay on track. Now I have over 75,000 followers! I still have to pinch myself when people call me an inspiration, or say that they’re going to start slimming because of me. My mum and sister have lost over 7st between them, so we’re always swapping ideas and cooking lovely Food Optimised meals for each other. The support of my friends and family and my Slimming World group, as well as the Instagram community, has been incredible.”
Since joining Slimming World Jennifer has a whole new approach to eating, swapping takeaways and convenience food for delicious, fresh and filling food. She says: “Before Slimming World I wouldn’t eat any breakfast or prepare any lunch or snacks for work, so I always found myself eating whatever I could lay my hands on - shop-bought sandwiches, packet noodles, chip shop meals. Now I prepare in advance so I’m ready for the day ahead - enjoying porridge and fruit for breakfast and taking tasty salads or homemade soup to work with me. My sister and I used to bond over eating really unhealthily - we would go out for indulgent meals, have takeaways together and eat junk food almost as a hobby. Now we cook and enjoy Slimming World feasts together and instead of having takeaways up to four times a week, we’ll make a lovely chicken stir-fry or homemade Bolognese. We’ve both changed our outlook on life and I think we’re closer now.”
Jennifer’s also rediscovered a love of exercise. She says: “About five years ago I used to dance regularly, but as I got bigger my joints would hurt and I’d get out of breath after just a short walk, so I gave it up. After I’d lost about 7st I felt brave enough to go back to my dance class and I absolutely love it now. I’ve also joined a gym.”
New bride-to-be Jennifer has dropped from 19st 4lbs to 9st 9lbs and from a dress size 24/26 to a 8/10.