Real Success

Jenna Read from Dorchester, Dorset, always wanted to blend into the background. Now, thanks to her life-changing 4st 7lbs weight loss she stands out for all the right reasons. Read Jenna’s slimming journey here.

“I began to put on weight in my early teens, but it was when I left school and started college that the pounds really piled on – I was eating a lot of fast food at lunchtime. Then I got a job working on my own in a shop. I was bored and turned to cream cakes and bars of chocolate every day for company. In the four months I was there I put on 2 stones. I was depressed and had no energy – not the way you want to feel when you’re a teenager.

“I resolved to lose weight on New Year’s Eve 2007. I hadn’t been able to find anything to wear for the party, so I ended up in my usual uniform of all black. I felt really unhappy with my appearance – and even more so later when I saw the photos – and realised I needed to sort myself out. I’d tried diets in the past, but had never been able to stick to them because they were so restrictive. So when a friend, who was already a Slimming World member, explained how much you can eat when you’re Food Optimising, I decided it was definitely worth a go.

“I was really nervous when I went to my first Slimming World group. The thought of walking into a room full of people I didn’t know was daunting – but it turned out that everyone was lovely, and very welcoming. Now I can’t imagine missing a group! Sharon, my Consultant, and the other members have been incredibly supportive and I find it so motivating.

“I do all the cooking at home and it didn’t take me long to realise how easy it is to adapt meals to fit in with Food Optimising. Before, I’d make dinners such as shepherd’s pie or chicken curry, using lots of oil, butter and cream. Now, we still eat the same things, but they’re low in fat (and just as tasty)!

“As I lost weight I began to say yes when friends asked me on nights out, instead of making excuses. For the first time I felt that I fitted in. After I’d lost 3 stones my boyfriend Rickie and I went on holiday to Spain. In the past I’d have covered myself up, even in the heat, but this time I walked to the beach every day in a bikini top and shorts.

“The day I reached a size 12 I bagged up all my old clothes and took them to the charity shop. I hadn’t bought any clothes as the weight was coming off, but my old

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trousers were baggy and bunched on me. Up until then I dressed like someone older than my years, in black wide-leg trousers and polo necks, but now I’ve swapped them for jeans, pencil skirts and fitted tops.

“I’ve got a new job managing a shoe shop. It’s my mum and stepdad’s business, so it means a lot that they trust me to run it. I’d never have had the courage to take it on a year ago, but losing weight has given me more confidence – and at least I can actually wear what I’m selling! I didn’t wear glamorous shoes before, as I felt uncomfortable in them, but now there are about 30 pairs in my wardrobe – and the number’s growing...

"Losing weight means I can move on with my life. Thanks to Slimming World I feel like a normal person, I fit in and that’s all I ever wanted.”

Read more about Jenna’s journey, plus many more inspiring success stories in the March/April 2009 Slimming World Magazine.

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