Despite her joy at getting engaged, 27st Vicky Chaffer was too self-conscious about her size to even think about setting a date.
In the years that followed, she told friends she did not want to get married “looking like Shrek in a dress”.
Vicky, 35, has now finally tied the knot after losing 14st 8lb.
She shed over half her body weight to get down to 12st 7lb on the big day.
The pensions administrator was over the moon when her fella David proposed in New York five years ago.
Vicky said: “I’d have married him the next day if I’d been comfortable and confident, but I didn’t want to get married looking like that so I kept putting off making any plans...
“I used to say to my friends, ‘I don’t want to be looking like Shrek in a dress when I walk down the aisle’.
“I didn’t let David take any photographs of me showing my ring off because I didn’t like how I looked.” Things came to a head because of some holiday photos three years ago.
Vicky, of Chesterfield, Derbys, said: “When I saw [the] pictures, I cried.
“I got on my scales and it said ‘error’ – I didn’t realise the maximum weight was 24st. I burst into tears.
“I thought ‘if I don’t change now, I’ll not see the next five years out’.”
She joined Slimming World – going with her supportive mum – ditched takeaways for healthy, home-cooked food and started exercising.
Vicky’s other half David, 36, an IT manager, lost 7st because of the new meals being prepared.
Vicky – 27st 1lb and a size 26 before joining Slimming World – said: “My confidence sky-rocketed as the weight came off... and I said ‘let’s do it’.”
The wedding date was set for last year after she had lost 8st, but the pandemic put things on hold. By the time the new date came around this year, Vicky had lost a further 6st.
She had to get her size 18 dress altered, and even her engagement ring had to be re-sized.
Diet before
Breakfast: Bacon and egg sandwich or the weekend previous night’s takeaway.
Lunch: Supermarket meal deal of Sandwich, crisps, chocolate bar and a full fat can of coke.
Dinner: A takeaway at weekend or oven chips and chicken nuggets in the week.
Snacks throughout the day: Everything and anything sweets, chocolate, crisps, doughnuts
Diet now
Breakfast: Cereal with skimmed milk or wholemeal toast, scrambled eggs, mushrooms and asparagus.
Morning snack: Yogurt and fruit
Lunch: Chicken salad or batch cooked meal such as Lasagne with vegetables.
Afternoon snack: Vegetable sticks.
Dinner: Fish and vegetables, or a homemade curry, homemade burger
Evening snacks: Chocolate bar, low calorie
crisps, fruit.
