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Large becomes little.. (From York Press)
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Teacher Joanne Large drops six dress sizes
10:50am Saturday 5th January 2013 in News
By Jennifer Bell, jennifer.bell@thepress.co.uk
JOANNE Large is big by name but no longer by nature, after she halved her dress size in a year and a half.
The 28-year-old teacher from Acomb, has lost 5½ stone – dropping from a size 24 to size 12 – in only 18 months.
“I’ve never been slim, so I became thick-skinned,” said Joanne, a teacher at Boston Spa secondary school.
“The pupils at school used to be embarrassed about calling me ‘Miss Large’ considering my size, so they used to call me ‘Miss Medium’ instead.
“I learned to joke about it.”
Joanne’s first attempt at dieting began successfully, with a loss of two stone in three months, but she didn’t manage to keep the weight off.
After a family bereavement, she began to put the weight back on, saying: “I wasn’t my own priority, life got in the way.”
After seeing photographs of herself in a bridesmaid’s dress at her sister’s wedding; Joanne was spurred on to shift the weight and joined Harrogate's Slimming World.
“Joining the Harrogate group was a huge confidence boost,” she said. “It’s as much as about the support you get from your friends there, as it is about the advice they give you.”
Her dramatic weight-loss success saw her reaching the district final of Woman Of The Year 2012, and has inspired her colleagues and family members.
“I even have pupils doing a double-take when they see me,” she said. “It’s great to be able to tell them I did it through healthy eating – I can be an example to them now.”
For Joanne, the best thing about the weight loss is being able to do more.
“I'd always wanted to go to GoApe and on rides at theme parks – but I was concerned I wouldn’t fit into the harnesses or I’d look squashed. Now I don’t worry about that at all. I am no longer large by both name and nature."
Jo's vital statistics
Before:
Weight: 17.5 stone
Dress size: 24
Ate/drank: Entire multibags of crisps, sauces from jars
After:
Weight: 12st
Dress size: 12
Eats/drinks: Fresh produce and lean meats, homemade sauces
Comments(14)
R'Marcus
says...
12:17pm Sat 5 Jan 13
lowbeam
says...
1:48pm Sat 5 Jan 13
Torkie
says...
3:10pm Sat 5 Jan 13
It's hard to put on weight if you eat healthily. I would have to eat a plate of chicken/potatoes and veg 7 times in one day just to make 2500kcals and ,my fat content would be so low i'd need to eat peanut butter by the spoonful.
Alpha Kenny Thing
says...
4:40pm Sat 5 Jan 13
I wish it would stop them posting their **** through my letterbox!
CHISSY1
says...
9:12am Sun 6 Jan 13
Alpha Kenny Thing wrote:"If Slimming World helps people lose weight,what is wrong with that?.That is far better than people whinging that they want the NHS to pay for a gastric band,because they thick and lazy to diet and exercise".
Isn't it great that Slimming World always gets free advertising?
I wish it would stop them posting their **** through my letterbox!
Podlet
says...
1:54pm Mon 7 Jan 13
Alpha Kenny Thing wrote:Possibly because you hardly ever see "I lost 5 stone after joining Lardy Pizza Loyalty Club (with large chips)".
Isn't it great that Slimming World always gets free advertising?
I wish it would stop them posting their **** through my letterbox!
Well done to Joanne, hope you can keep it off too.
YorkPatrol
says...
1:56pm Mon 7 Jan 13
AngryandFrustrated
says...
2:05pm Mon 7 Jan 13
YorkPatrol wrote:Well done Joanne! You look fab!
Why do people let themselves get so FAT in the first place - What do they do, drink cooking oil 24/7?
To the other, less complimentary posters on this story, have a good look at yourselves and remember that most people have a problem or problems that they find difficult to tackle, be it smoking, making friends, over-eating etc. Be careful because sometimes your puritanical views may come and bite you on the backside.
As I have said on many occasions on these types of stories, over-eating is as much a disorder as under-eating. No-one would consider it acceptable to say to someone suffering from Bulimia or Anorexia - "FFS, go and eat a good meal will you and stop wasting resourses" and yet they feel able to say the exact opposite to someone who is obese.
Thin people garner sympathy. Fat people are ridiculed. It is not right. Not all over-weight people are fat, smelly lazy slobs - look at Lisa Riley - overweight, yes. Lazy and a slob? No.
alfie
says...
2:07pm Mon 7 Jan 13
YorkPatrol wrote:It says in the story she sat and ate multipacks of crisps washed down with jars of sauce....hmm wonder what kind of sauce tho..must be a creamy sauce.
Why do people let themselves get so FAT in the first place - What do they do, drink cooking oil 24/7?
jadestars
says...
12:07pm Tue 8 Jan 13
jadestars
says...
12:12pm Tue 8 Jan 13
Alpha Kenny Thing wrote:Its not free advertising, It's simply reporting a news story!
Isn't it great that Slimming World always gets free advertising? I wish it would stop them posting their **** through my letterbox!
directdebbie
says...
12:22pm Tue 8 Jan 13
Joanne take no notice of the small minded individuals who comment on this post, if you can help one other person to act on the weight issues then good on you.
As for slimming world the support they give is brilliant.
YorkPatrol
says...
1:49pm Tue 8 Jan 13
alfie wrote:with a side order of 6 Big Macs
YorkPatrol wrote: Why do people let themselves get so FAT in the first place - What do they do, drink cooking oil 24/7?It says in the story she sat and ate multipacks of crisps washed down with jars of sauce....hmm wonder what kind of sauce tho..must be a creamy sauce.
xtc says...
11:46am Sat 5 Jan 13