SLIMMER

Ashleigh full of shame but when English student Phil proposed later that year, she decided to tackle her problem and joined Slimming World in October 2015. She also hit the gym in a big way after signing up at her l ocal Xercise4Less. Ashleigh, of Wigan, Lancs said: “It took a lot of willpower but I was determined and the wedding was an incentive. “I started eating breakfast and following the Slimming World diet religiously. I could still eat some of my favourite foods like burger and chips and pizza but in the right way, making them myself.” Ashleigh’s slimming world diet involved cooking lots of homemade, fresh food such as stir frys and she found eating better also boosted her energy levels. She adds: “At first I was losing more than a stone a month and it pushed me further.

“When I first started dieting my energy levels were quite low and I couldn’t face exercise at all

“But instead of sitting on the sofa watching Netflix I started going to the gym five times a week and caught the bug.

Addicted

“It was hard when I first started going. I would do 10 minutes of walking on the treadmill, but slowly built it up. And the more I went the better I felt. Now I’m addicted.”

These days Ashleigh enjoys activity holidays and long walks, a total change to her previous lifestyle

“I’ve gained so much more confidence,” she says. “I now do things I would never have dreamed of when I was heavier, like going on an activity holiday to Center Parcs where I can now enjoy swimming without wanting to hide away.

“I can go on walks with family and enjoy being in their company whereas previously I would have made excuses. “

By July 2016, Ashleigh had hit her target weight of 10st and has managed to maintain it ever since. She kept a picture diary which showed her astonishing weight loss. It starts when she was at her heaviest in the Canaries and ends with her looking trim and toned in striped trousers and pink jacket. And when she and Phil married at the stately Knowsley Hall in Cheshire she looked resplendent in her fishtail wedding dress, but she left husband Philip l i terally speechless. As she walked down the aisle he was so emotional he started crying. Ashleigh said: “As I walked towards Philip I realised he was crying. “He couldn’t say anything to me because he couldn’t even get his words out.” She said: “I feel like a different woman. I’ve got so much more energy now – it’s like having my old life back.”