Jenna Read always wanted to blend into the background. Now, thanks to her life-changing 63lb 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 high-school 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 store. 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 28lbs. 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. 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 realized 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 do all the cooking at home and it didn’t take me long to realize how easy it is to adapt meals to fit in with Food Optimising. Before, I’d make meals 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 40lbs my boyfriend Rickie and I went on vacation. 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 8 I bagged up all my old clothes and took them to the goodwill store. I hadn’t bought any clothes as the weight was coming off, but my old trousers were baggy and bunched on me. Up until then I dressed like someone older than my years, in black wide-leg trousers and turtle necks, but now I’ve swapped them for jeans, pencil skirts and fitted tops.
“I’ve got a new job managing a shoe store. 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.”