An Ipswich woman who hid herself in baggy clothes has lost more than eight stone with the help of Slimming World - buying a pair of jeans for the first time in three decades.
Jan Bowley, 56, has battled with her weight and fad diets all her adult life, constantly losing weight but putting it straight back on.
Her weight particularly tumbled out of control when she had to have a trauma-related hip replacement in 2014, after she suffered an injury during the London Marathon, which she was taking part in for the East Anglia's Children's Hospices.
She damaged her hip after falling on a water bottle which had been chucked on the floor at mile nine.
Following the surgery, her weight soared to over 21 stone and she was wearing a size 24/26 - so she knew she had to do something about it.
"I've been on a journey," said Mrs Bowley, who lives in Pinewood and attends the Claydon Slimming World Group.
"I was eating the wrong things and had too big portions. My downfall is bread, and most days I was having it for breakfast lunch and dinner."
Since joining Slimming World in 2017, Mrs Bowley has managed to lose an incredible eight stone to fit into a size 14, and has now bought her first pair of jeans in over 30 years.
She said her confidence has grown tremendously and she is no longer wearing black baggy clothes, but tight-fitting outfits which she loves.
She said: "Slimming World is not a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I can still enjoy the foods I love, but just in moderation. It's all been about adapting."
Mrs Bowley and her husband both now follow the plan, cooking meals from scratch opposed to buying ready meals which are often high in salt and sugar. She has also stopped buying a chocolate bar every time she goes to the petrol station, and has discovered a new love for walking, swimming, aqua Zumba and exercising.
She has even signed up to do the Great East Swim with her son in 2021 - something she never would have done before due to her fear of not being able to fit into a wetsuit.
She said she is very proud of herself for what she has accomplished, and is adamant she "won't go back" to how she was before.
"This is my way of life now," said the administrator. "I can eat more now than I ever did before, but it's all about eating the right things."
Slimming World helps thousands of people lose weight every year, and even in Tier 4 they are still open and will be running classes virtually. For more information about how to join a group in Suffolk you can visit the Slimming World website.
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