A Devon bride has lost half of her body weight after being so shocked by how she looked in her wedding photos.
Vicky Jennings, 27, from Newton Abbot had to buy a size 20 dress for her wedding and attended regular fittings, every six to eight weeks, to ensure the dress would be perfect for the special day.
And just days before the wedding, her dress had to be let out a further two inches.
After the big day Vicky decided enough was enough and set about getting fit.
Now, one year on, Vicky has dropped from 16st to 8st - meaning she has lost more than half her body weight.
Speaking about the motivation she needed to lose the weight, she said: 'It was the week before my wedding, I went for a final dress fitting. There were about six to eight weeks between all of the fittings and up until that point it had fit fine.
'On the final fitting the zip just wouldn't do up, I had to have it taken out an inch either side, so two inches in total.
'The dress was a size 20, which annoyed me anyway - I did not believe that I was that size at all.
'When they had to let the dress out it was absolutely horrifying. I was mortified. It was the last thing I needed.
'At first I started scoffing to make myself feel better but then I put my foot down and decided it was time to lose weight.'
Vicky piled on the weight eating up to five take-aways a week and drank up to five cans of cola a day.
She said: 'I was never really big as a child or anything. The weight piled on as I was with my now-husband.
'We just felt so comfortable that neither of us really thought about what we were eating - we didn't really care.
'The problem was that we didn't really cook at home. It just got to the point where we would rely on frozen meals and take-aways.
'We'd probably have five take-aways a week. My favourite were doner kebabs. I'd have one a week.
'I also lived on full-fat coke. I'd have four or five cans of it a day. I just didn't realise how bad for you it was.'
After looking at her wedding pictures she decided enough was enough and joined her local Slimming World, where she learned how to cook healthy, fat-free meals.
She added: 'My life has changed dramatically, I think even just doing the everyday things. I didn't realise how restricted my life had been beforehand.
'I used to hate going to the beach because I would always wear long sleeved T-shirts. Now I can go to the beach with the kids and we can all have a fantastic time.
'I also used to refuse to walk anywhere, I would get my husband to drop me off at the entrance to places before he'd go and park the car. I didn't even realise I was doing it. But now I walk everywhere and the kids join in with me - it's great.
'My confidence has just rocketed since I lost the weight - it's unbelievable. I've got my life back.'
