Bride so ashamed of her wedding photos spurred on to lose over 80 pounds

By Bradley Stokes via SWNS

A new bride was left so ashamed of her size 22 figure in her wedding photos she was spurred on to lose 84 lb (6 st).

Verity Trueman, 30, tipped the scales at 240 lb (17 st 2 lb) when she walked down the aisle after years of gorging on takeout, snacks and ice cream.

Weeks after tying the knot, Verity received the wedding photos but was horrified at her bulky size and burst into tears.

Six months later she was inspired to join Slimming World in January 2019 and immediately started seeing the weight drop off.

Verity swapped her high-calorie diet for fruit and low-fat home cooked meals and within two years she lost a whopping 84 lb (6 st).

She now weighs 156 lb (11st 2lb) and dropped down to a svelte 8-10 dress size.

Verity even gained the confidence to ditch her husband and find herself a new job as an assistant service manager at a car dealership.

“Looking back, I can see that I wasn’t happy in my relationship before getting married,"said Verity, of Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

“I sought comfort in food and gained a lot of weight very quickly in the lead-up to the wedding.

“My weight had become such an issue that something as simple as putting on a seatbelt was a nightmare as the clip would painfully dig into my leg.

“I was always tired, everything hurt and I couldn’t even do a basic 10-minute workout without being in pain.

“The final straw was seeing my wedding photographs.

“I cried for days after looking at them. I was the biggest I’d ever been and I couldn’t even bring myself to look at those pictures again for months after.

“I hated everything about myself, and began to hide my true personality as well as my body.”

Verity joined a Slimming World group alongside her father for support.

After losing 4 lb in her first week, Verity was taught on how to eat healthy foods like lean-meat, potatoes, pasta, fruit and vegetables.

Previously, Verity’s diet consisted of convenience food, takeout, chips, sweets and chocolate – and even skipping breakfast.

“I struggled with my weight since I was a teenager, so I’d tried every diet you could think of," she said.

“The thing that struck me about Slimming World was that I never had to feel hungry because I could still enjoy all of my favorite foods, like pasta.

“My favorite meal is chili beef mac ‘n’ cheese – something you’d never think you could enjoy while losing weight.

"I really loved how the I could personalize the plan to my likes and dislikes.

“It really struck a chord for me as I knew I’d go totally off-track if I had to cut out foods like pasta and chocolate.

“The group was really amazing too. Being surrounded by people who understand how it feels to struggle with your weight was really comforting and I really relied on their support throughout.

“A year into my journey, my group switched to a virtual service as we entered a national lockdown, but I still attended each week to check in and stay on track.

“Of course, there were times that I had a bump in the road – an unexpected gain or a bit of a wobble.

“I found keeping a food diary really helpful, or researching the menu before a meal out so that I could make a healthier choice.”

In recognition of her incredible weight loss, Verity has been crowned Slimming World’s Miss Slinky 2022.

“Any form of activity before used to leave me in pain, I could barely climb a flight of stairs without gasping for breath," she said.

“Now I have a whole wardrobe dedicated to gym clothes. I enjoy Pilates and spinning classes, and I always feel great afterwards.

“When I was at my heaviest it was as though my unhappiness seeped into every aspect of my life.

“I’d wear dark, baggy clothes because I thought they’d be slimming and I’d blend into the background so that I didn’t stand out.

“Now I’m proud of who I am and what I’ve overcome. The world feels exciting and new – and I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

VERITY’S DIET BEFORE

Breakfast: Nothing
Lunch: Fast food followed by sweets or chocolate and a sugary coffee
Dinner: A high-calorie ready meal or takeaway
Evening: Crisps, biscuits, ice cream

VERITY’S DIET NOW

Breakfast: Baked oat waffles with strawberries
Lunch: Coronation chicken, new potato and Mediterranean vegetable couscous salad
Dinner: Homemade chilli beef mac ‘n’ cheese
Evening: A hot chocolate, fat-free yogurt or chocolate bar