Dunce hat on 2 in 3 heads
Shannon loses 8st to ‘look good’ walking down aisle
WHEN Shannon Leigh-wedley’s fella popped the question, she made an early wedding vow – to lose 8st and wow in her dress.
So she changed her diet and began exercising, spending 17 months trimming from 20st 3lb and a size 24 to 11st 12lb and a size 12.
Shannon, 23, said: “It broke my heart when I had to look at plussized wedding dresses.
“The thought of walking down the aisle at 20st made me feel sad so I set a goal of losing 100lb so I can fit into a size 12 wedding dress.
“I just wanted to feel good and look good walking down the aisle.”
Shannon, an office worker, was devastated when diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, which can lead to infertility and contributed to her weight gain. She turned to food for comfort and her bad eating spiralled out of control.
Then she met her fiance, photographer Tom Futcher.
Shannon, of Cheltenham, Glos, said: “I was in a rut but he accepted me for who I was. I knew that I had to lose weight but I didn’t pursue any dieting or exercising.
“I was comfortable and it was easier to scoff crisps, ice-cream and junk food rather than a salad.
“But when he proposed in February 2018, I had a meltdown and knew I had to change. I’ll always admire Tom for loving me no matter what size I was. He never put pressure on me to lose weight.” Shannon says her weight loss also rebooted her periods, which stopped at her heaviest from 2015 to 2018.
The Covid-19 crisis means she and Tom, 22, are not sure if their big day will go ahead as planned on August 26. But as soon as they are wed, they plan to start a family.
Shannon said: “The wedding was my motivator but now I have changed my lifestyle and I will never go back to that size again.”
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