A MOTHER who ballooned to 21 stones by gorging on chips, burgers, pizza, and crisps, has lost almost 12 stones in just over a year - more than half her body weight.
Gemma Rookledge, 29, would see people staring at her in the street and whispering about how big she was.
She would eat up to 12 bags of crisps a day and have at least four takeaways a week.
When she started dieting, she weighed 21 stones and 11lbs, wore size 26 clothes and couldn’t find anything nice to wear. Her confidence was rock bottom - she wouldn’t go anywhere alone.
She knew she had to change her lifestyle if she wanted to see her children, Jayden, eight, and Sienna, five, grow up.
Gemma, of Hardwick Close, Royston, said: “I just thought ‘I want to be here when they are older.’
“When I walked I would be out of puff, and my legs would hurt. I couldn’t walk very far without sitting down. I wouldn’t go to the supermarket, or get on a bus. I had to be with someone wherever I went.
“I’ve always been a big girl and was bullied at school for being big. People in town would say ‘look how big she is’ and you could see people staring. It was not a nice feeling. I just tried to carry on and not let it get to me, but it did.”
Around Christmas 2016, Gemma visited her doctor who gave her some slimming tablets. She took them and lost three stones, but said they were not pleasant.
She joined Slimming World in February last year weighing 18 stones and set herself a target of 11 stones and 5lbs before lowering it to 10 stones and 5lbs, which she reached in February.
Now, Gemma weighs ten stones and two pounds and wears size ten clothes.
She also got married on April 2 to Neil, and had to have her wedding dress taken in from a size 16 to a size 10.
Gemma said: “I feel absolutely fantastic, I’ve never felt as great in my life.
“I go out by myself, I walk to the shop. It’s a lot easier to play with the children and go for a walk, my legs don’t hurt any more.
“And it is so much easier to find nice clothes. I’ve just bought my first pair of dungarees, and when I got married, it was a great feeling to look and feel great.
“Neil thinks it’s great and he’s really proud of me and Jayden loves it, he can get his arms around me now.”
Gemma has completely overhauled her diet and lifestyle. She eats three healthy meals per day and snacks on fruit and eggs. She no longer uses cooking oil and eats lean meat and more vegetables.
Last year she was awarded the Miss Slinky 2017 award and no longer attends the Slimming World classes, but continues with her healthy lifestyle and the group’s main principles from home.
