Bride made two changes to lose half her body weight for wedding

A bride-to-be was left stunned after she managed to shed half her body weight in time for her wedding day, leaving her guests "shocked" by her transformation. Samantha Wannop, 36, who once weighed 19st 7lbs and wore a size 18, admitted she was "in denial" about her unhealthy eating habits during her 20s.

She confessed to indulging in large portions of hearty meals and bingeing on takeaway pizzas after boozy nights out, which led to her piling on the pounds. However, when Samantha got engaged to her partner, Joe Wannop, 37, a dairy farmer, she made up her mind to slim down for their big day.

By altering her portion sizes and incorporating cardio exercises into her routine, she succeeded in losing more than nine stone - equivalent to half her body weight. Samantha, who now comfortably fits into a size ten and weighs just ten-and-a-half stone, said she felt "better than ever" at her wedding in November 2017, having dropped an impressive five dress sizes and nine-and-a-half stone.

Samantha, from , who works in local government, said: "I put it off for a really long time, I think I was in denial. I always thought it wasn't that bad, and I hadn't got that big.

"But it started to become difficult to find clothes in my size and I felt really uncomfortable. Once I made changes to my lifestyle and saw the weight dropping off, it was easy to stick to. It was liberating to be able to pick whatever wedding dress I wanted - for a long time my clothing choices were restricted."

Samantha initially decided to start losing weight for her best friend Dom's wedding in Cyprus in July 2012. Then aged 24, Samantha managed to lose five stone for her friend's big day, but was still unhappy with her weight.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

She said: "I remember speaking to my friends and I said I needed to do something to lose weight. People kept telling me that I looked great - looking back now I don't know why no one told me that I needed to lose some weight.

"I did manage to lose a fair bit of weight before my friend's wedding, and I did feel better. But I still wasn't completely comfortable, and I had a long way to go."

When Samantha got engaged herself in January 2017, she was determined to feel confident when it was her turn to say "I do". She was already a member at Fitness Formation Gym in Lancaster - but decided to up her workout regime ahead of her big day.

Samantha explained: "I started working with a personal trainer and went to the gym every single day. I loved it - at the time I didn't have kids so could go at 6am every day before work.

"It just became a part of my life. It was mainly classes in the morning and personal training in the evenings."

Samantha and Joe got married on November 25, 2017 - and the blushing bride had lost half her body weight.

She said: "It was an amazing day. It's the first time I've looked at photos and liked what I've seen. I felt confident on the day and I wasn't remotely self-conscious."

Since her wedding, Samantha has managed to maintain her healthy lifestyle and has not fallen back into old habits. She now encourages her two children - aged four and six - to eat well and exercise regularly.

Samantha said: "My kids are learning good habits - they've both been coming to the gym with me since they were babies. We're a very active family, we always go on bike rides and walks and the kids love it. I'm not bothered about the number on the scales now - I just want to feel healthy and strong."

Samantha's diet before

Breakfast - Toast with butter and jam

Lunch - Baguettes filled with meats - e.g. chicken mayo.

Dinner - Spaghetti Bolognese, cheese and garlic bread - big hearty meals

Snacks - Crisps, cake, chocolate

Drinks - bought coffees

Samantha's diet now

Breakfast - Greek yoghurt with fruit

Lunch - Omelette or tuna salad

Dinner - Meat or fish with veg

Snacks - Dark chocolate, few biscuits here and there!

Drinks - stopped drinking alcohol, mainly water or decaf tea or coffee