Andria Palmer longed to share her partner’s sporty hobbies. Then she
lost 10st 2½lbs to start married life with an action-packed honeymoons my boyfriend, Ian, set
off on one of his regular
long-distance bike rides,
I stood watching from the living room
window. Although I would’ve loved to
be riding alongside him, at over 19st
and with crippling back pain, I didn’t
have the energy to join in.
Ian and I had been together for
nine years, so when he proposed I was
excited at the prospect of making things
official. He’d been so supportive as I’d
struggled with my weight, yo-yoing from
one fad diet to the next. Now, though,
my weight worries were brought intosharp focus. I knew I didn’t want to
wear a size-24 wedding dress, but it
was more than that. I wanted to enjoy
married life sharing Ian’s love of the
outdoors, starting with our honeymoon
in the Scottish Highlands.
An old colleague had lost weight with
Slimming World, so I thought I’d give
it a go. Ian got involved, too, helping
me cook Food Optimising meals such as
campfire stew and spaghetti carbonara.
And in the first week, I lost 8½lbs!
As the weight gradually came off, my
back pain began to ease and I started
taking our two border terriers, Scrappy
Nelson and Duncan Pickles, for longer
walks, clocking up to nine miles a day.
That inspired me to follow the Couch to
5K app, and Ian joined me for a run every
morning before work. I started cycling
with him, too, loving finally being able to
share in his activities. So, when I saw asize-10 wetsuit for sale online, I snapped
it up, determined I’d be able to fit into
it a year later for our honeymoon, where
I’d be kayaking for the first time.
That summer, 7st lighter, I found my
dream wedding dress in the first shop
I went to – in a size 14. By the time we got
married in May the following year, I’d lost
another 3st and it had to be taken in to
a size 8! A few weeks after the wedding,
we set off in our motorhome for our
action-packed honeymoon in Arisaig,
Inverness-shire. After wriggling into
my wetsuit, I ran across the beautiful
sandy beach with my new husband. We
clambered into our kayak, with the dogs
in tow, and paddled out to sea. Now I’m
full of energy, I can look forward to trying
activities like indoor skydiving, and
skiing. Best of all, suddenly everything
feels new and exciting again for me and
Ian. We’re loving married life. ●Over to you Have you got a photo of a special moment since hitting target? Email it to us at [email protected]
A
Andria, 45, lives in Ridgmont, Bedfordshire,
with her husband, Ian. She is 5ft 6ins
tall and weighs 9st 2½lbs, having lost
10st 2½lbs at Jane Oliver’s Slimming
World group in Ampthill, BedfordshireI finally took
to the water
That feeling when...
‘‘NOW Life feels
exciting now that
I’ve the energy
to try new things
and go out
on adventuresTHEN I’d stay on
the sidelines
and watch as my
boyfriend enjoyed
the outdoor life‘‘
SLIMMING WORLD MAGAZINE 45in the picture
Over
10st
lost!INTERVIEW: PUNTEHA VAN TERHEYDEN