Slimming World helps Dawn with incredible weight loss

Dawn James, 33, was asked to be a maid of honour at her pal's wedding in 2019, but was worried the spotlight would instead be on her and her 19st 7lbs frame.

It was the motivation she needed and she signed up to Slimming World, shedding seven stone to go from a size 26 to a slender size 12.

Mrs James now tips the scales 12st 7lbs and went on to tie the knot to her carpenter partner Ben James, 30, in a size 12 wedding dress in April.

Dawn James on her wedding day in April (Image: SWNS)

Optician shop manager, from Ross-on-Wye, said: "When the time came to be maid of honour, I felt beautiful. I’d lost weight and was feeling great.

"I was so proud to walk down the aisle in a beautiful wedding dress at least seven sizes smaller than it would have been if I hadn’t joined Slimming World.

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"I was amazed that it worked and nothing was off limits. I'm a real foodie and thought I’d have to miss out to lose weight. I was wrong.

"I’ve lost seven stone eating the food I love like pasta, potatoes and chocolate. I love the fact I can still eat carbs and chocolate.“

Mrs James said the key to her success has been being prepared with her meal plans and becoming much more active.

"Feeling prepared is one of the main changes I’ve made in my day-to-day life to keep me on track,” she said.

"If we go to a restaurant, I check the menu and choose what I’d like to eat in advance, and I plan my weekly meals every weekend.”

She now walks her dog, Fella, twice a day as well as walking to and from work.

"I’m on my feet all day constantly up and down the stairs and still have energy in the evenings," she said.

"Walking into any high street shop and knowing I’ll find clothes I like in my size is an incredible feeling.

"This means so much to me as all throughout school and into my teens I was overweight, and my mum struggled to get clothes to fit me."

Dawn’s diet before:

• Breakfast: white bread toast with lots of butter or a pastry
• Lunch: meal deal such as shop bought sandwich, crisps, chocolate, can of cola
• Dinner: chicken nuggets and chips
• Snacks: crisps and bars of chocolate
• Drinks: fizzy drinks and cider

Dawn's diet after

• Breakfast: bacon (with the fat cut off) and poached egg sandwich or bacon with scrambled eggs
• Lunch: slow cooker chilli or cottage pie, batch cooked from home and warmed up at work
• Dinner: home cooked spaghetti bolognese with salad
• Snacks: fruit, grapes, apples, low-fat crisps or low-calorie jelly
• Drinks: water, gin and slimline tonic