DOMINIQUE'S A MODEL SLIMMER AFTER 8ST WEIGHT LOSS!
A woman who was targeted by bullies from the age of 10 for being overweight is hoping to pursue her dreams of becoming a model after losing 8st.
Stunning Dominique Bellas, 26, of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, has been named Slimming World’s ‘Miss Slinky 2011’* after dropping six dress sizes and losing more than 10in from her waist.
Dominique was overweight from a young age and bullied throughout junior school: “I remember when I was 10 a boy in my class said I should join a ‘fat club’.” She slimmed down briefly, but at 18, student life with regular nights out and takeaways took its toll on Dominique’s figure and she hit 17st. After moving to London in 2008 she gained more weight and at over 19st was even mistaken for being pregnant by a woman in a supermarket.
The former drama student, who is originally from Sandygate in Sheffield but studied acting at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester, felt her size held her back. She says: “With a big, bubbly, outgoing personality I seemed confident but deep down I was unhappy with my weight and I think it definitely hindered my chances. I had a few successful acting jobs and I was even approached by a modelling agency after they saw my headshot, but I knew that as soon as they realised how heavy I was I wouldn’t stand a chance so I didn’t pursue it. Now I’ve lost weight, I’ve got so much more confidence in the way I look and I’d love to get into modelling.”
Everything changed in August 2009 when Dominique’s brother was diagnosed with a heart condition called left ventricular cardiomyopathy and she was warned she could have it too. “I knew that being overweight was putting extra strain on my heart so I had to do something about it. I’d been in denial for so long and it was time to face up to it. On the outside I was confident – perhaps over confident – and always making jokes, but I think that was just my way of hiding the fact that my weight was making me really unhappy.
“My decision to lose weight was a big one because I knew I needed to make a change forever. I was a bit of a diet veteran having tried detoxs, low-carb plans and even slimming pills, all without success, so I knew I couldn’t just “go on a diet” because as soon as I came “off” it any weight I lost would come back on.”
So in September 2009, on the recommendation of friends, Dominique went along to her local Slimming World group. She says: “I felt really self-conscious about going to a slimming club and didn’t tell anyone apart from my mum. All that’s completely changed now. I’m so proud of Slimming World I want to tell everyone about it and I love sharing tips and recipes with the other members, especially if they’ve been struggling.”
Out went takeaways and creamy pasta sauces and in came healthy, balanced home-cooked meals like chicken and vegetable stir-fry with noodles and spaghetti bolognaise. “I love cooking now and my boyfriend really enjoys my food too. The really great thing for me is that there isn’t anything you can’t have. You can still have delicious and filling meals, still eat out, still go for drinks with friends and, best of all, still lose weight.”
After losing 4st Dominique joined a badminton team and signed up to her local gym. She says: “I didn’t do any exercise before I joined Slimming World because I was embarrassed about my size but losing weight has given me so much energy. I never thought about it before but I was carrying around the weight of another person, now I finally feel as fit as a 26-year-old should. I love going for walks by the sea and I’m even thinking about a skiing holiday, which is something I would have shied away from before. I feel that I can try anything and I can’t wait to experience all the things I stopped myself from doing before because of my weight.”
Dominique, who works in communications for Lambeth Council, has now gone from 19st 2½lb to 11st 2½lb and dropped from a dress size 24 to a 12. “For the first time my confidence is 100% real and I feel good top to toe. Even better I know I can stay feeling this way because with Slimming World I’ve got the tools to stay slim for life – a healthy attitude to food and great support too.” – ends –
Fact File
Name: Dominique Bellas
Age: 26
Location: Leigh-on-Sea, Essex (originally from Sheffield and studied drama in Manchester from 2003-2006)
Starting weight: 19st 2½lb/268½lbs/122kg
Current weight: 11st 2½lb/156½lbs/71kg
Weight loss: 8st/112lbs/51kg
Height: 5ft 7in/170cm
Dress size before: 24
Dress size now: 12
Waist measurement before: 40+in
Waist measurement now: 28in
Joining date: September 2009
Group: Dominique initially joined Hannah McNeil’s Putney group in September 2009. She moved to Penny Melly’s Eastwood group in July 2010 after moving to Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.
Before menu
Breakfast: Peanut butter on toast & a banana or ham and cheese croissant
Lunch: 2 rounds of sandwiches or chicken salad with lots of mayo or eating out (steak sandwich & chips, pasta dishes, tapas)
Dinner: Creamy pasta dishes, eating out or takeaways such as Chinese or KFC
Snacks/Treats: White wine, spirits, biscuits, pastries
After menu
Breakfast: Mullerlight yogurt or porridge and a banana, or scrambled eggs on wholemeal toast
Lunch: Cous cous salad with vegetables or mushroom omelette with salad
Dinner: Spaghetti bolognaise with salad, chicken and vegetable stir-fry with noodles, or steak, homemade chips, mushrooms and tomatoes, or king prawn chilli linguine
Snacks: Mullerlight yogurts, bananas, Mug Shot soups, strawberries, satsumas
Treats: Options hot chocolate, Alpen Light bars, rum and Diet Coke
– Ends –
For further information please contact the Slimming World press office on 01773 546101 or 01773 546037 or email: public.relations@slimming-world.com
Notes to Editors
- *Miss Slinky is one of nine national competitions held by Slimming World each year. This year’s winner will take home a £2,000 cash prize.
- Slimming World is the largest and most advanced slimming organisation in the UK. Margaret Miles-Bramwell (OBE, FRSA) founded the company in 1969 and there are now more than 7,000 groups held weekly nationwide via a network of 2,700 Slimming World trained Consultants.
- 350,000 members attend Slimming World every week and achieve outstanding success.
- Members lose 17,857 stones every week: 2,551 stones every day, over 106 stones every hour, that’s 1 stone 10 lbs lost every minute of every day with Slimming World.
- Slimming World pioneered referral schemes in the UK and actively supports the building of partnerships with the NHS and local authorities to develop effective strategies to manage overweight and obesity in the community. Slimming World works with university researchers and specialists in an active research programme to further knowledge of the causes and treatment of obesity.
- Slimming World’s healthy eating plan, Food OptimisingÒ, and the principles behind Slimming World’s philosophy are based on a deep understanding of the challenges faced by overweight people. Slimming World integrates practical, up-to-date dietary advice with a highly developed support system.
Slimming World Consultants receive specific training in dietary aspects and the role of physical activity in weight control. The highly developed training focuses on facilitating behaviour change in a group environment, acknowledged by experts as being the most effective way to support long-term weight management.
Images
Please right-click to download this image