Top slimmer shed more than half her weight
CHIPS, pizza and Chinese takeaways were the things Melissa Middlemiss loved most.
But she is now a slither of her former self after dropping from a dress size 26 to a petite six.
Melissa is half the woman she used to be after weighing in at 20 stones and shedding the flab to become nine-and-a-half stone.
The gorging 31-year-old was embarrassed to have her picture taken and comfort fed when she fell ill.
But now her life has had a remarkable turn-around as she is teaching others how to drop their dress sizes.
And after curbing her eating, Melissa’s weekly shopping bill has plummeted from £170 to just £40.
“I feel great now, I’m only 5ft 4 inches and was in a 26 dress size at my biggest. But I have lost 10 and a half-stone and I’m in a size six dress now,” said Melissa, of Ouston, near Chester-le-street, County Durham.
Melissa, who is now a Slimming World consultant, added: “It’s all about healthy eating and I’m passing that on to others.
“My husband Phil has also joined my class and he’s lost two-and-ahalf stone.
“We decided that we wanted to try for a family but because of our weight we were finding it difficult to conceive. Now we have a much better chance.”
Melissa’s nightmare started when her bowel basically stopped working.
She was in and out of hospital but turned to food and opted for takeaways when she found it difficult to stand and cook.
“I got into the habit of having takeaways. Phil and I were eating everything from fish and chips, to Chinese, Indian, pizza, kebabs and any other takeaway there is.
“But I was getting bigger and bigger and I wasn’t active at all. I went up to 20 stone, it was horrendous.
“The thought of having a photo taken would make me cringe. In 2016 I had an operation on my bowel and tummy. I couldn’t eat as normal and felt quite unwell, but I still was in the habit of getting takeaways. Because I was unwell I was losing weight and shed nine stone but I knew I had to do something to get healthier and joined Slimming MELISSA MIDDLEMISS
World last summer. In fact I still go to the end of the clothes rails in shops because I always have gone to the end where the bigger clothes were.
“Now I go to the front of the rail to get the small clothes. It’s something I’m still getting used to.”
Phil, who works in the finance department at Northumbrian Water, is 6ft 4in and weighed 26 stone 7.5 lbs and is just over 24 stone now.
“Phil has set himself a goal of 19 stone and he will see where he goes from there,” added Melissa.
“He’s so supportive, he’s in my class and goes out on leaflet drops with me, in fact my whole family are really supporting us.”
Melissa grew to 20 stone after eating huge takeaways, heavily buttered cheese sandwiches and packets of crisps, but now she cooks everything the Slimming World way and her shopping bill has been slashed.
She added: “We were spending about £170 a week on our food bill because we were having so many takeaways, but now I cook everything fresh and spend about £40 a week. I can still have all the things I love but just cooked to the Slimming World recipes now.”
Melissa runs Slimming World classes at the Methodist Church in Pelton, Chester-le-street, County Durham, on Thursdays at 5.30pm and 7.30pm and on February 25 is launching another session at the same venue, every Monday at 5.30pm. Call Melissa on 07795 336 593.