Real Success

Jema Bunney’s fantastic 2st 8lb weight loss has left her literally bouncing through life! Bungee jumping and salsa dancing are just two of the activities Jema loves now. She tells us here how her life has changed.

“I feel like I’ve always battled with a weight problem. My family are big eaters and when I was little I was taught not to waste my food. We’d have to eat until our plates were empty.

“I’ve tried many methods to lose weight. Meal replacement milkshakes made me feel ill and calorie pointing diets made me hungry. I even tried just going to the gym, but found it a fruitless effort as I’d just feel hungry when I got out and start munching on Mars bars.

"I used my two pregancies as an excuse to eat everything in sight – I didn't eat for two, I ate for the whole street! I didn't lose a single pound after both my babies, in fact, my weight escalated!"

“Little things like walking up the stairs were a big issue as I’d get out of breath. Even just walking down the road to collect my daughter from playschool was hard work. I can see the school from my house but I’d have to get in the car and drive down to collect her because I felt that it was too far to walk.

“What really made me decide to lose weight was seeing some pictures of myself. I couldn’t believe that it was me. I’d had a picture taken with my friend who has always been bigger than me. In the picture I was the same size, if not bigger.

“I knew Slimming World would be the club to help me. My uncle is a member and was Man of the Year for my area a few years ago. He’s really changed in appearance and ability – from always wearing black and not getting involved with activities to becoming super slim and active. He even goes deep sea diving!

“Slimming World’s Food Optimising really puts you in control of what you eat and it’s made a huge difference to my life. I love the fact that it’s encouraged me to eat lots of fruit and vegetables. I’ve always bought fruit and veg but it would end up going off in the fridge - my good intentions would be thrown in the bin every Friday before I went to the supermarket to replace them with more vegetables, which inevitably would end up in the bin again!

“My husband Adam has been so impressed by the effects of Food Optimising that he’s followed it too at home and has lost 2 stones in 4 months! My children don’t quite understand Food Optimising and quite often ask me if I’m having a pink day or a purple day! Initially I cooked separate meals for them but after watching a programme about children and food we decided that the children should eat what we do. Since then we’ve noticed a marked improvement in their ability to concentrate and also their behaviour. They often prepare meals with me so I hope that I’m teaching them to eat healthily for the future. A real favourite is Quorn spaghetti bolognese made with passata, onions, herbs, tinned tomatoes and mushrooms. I also put in a tin of chilli beans to spice it up a little!

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“When I began to lose weight I started buying new, smaller clothes, which has been fascinating as well as exciting! I still look at clothes in my old size because I keep forgetting that I’ve lost weight. The day before I went on holiday I managed to fit into my smallest ever size clothes and I burst into tears in the shop! The lady who was helping me ended up crying too and told everyone why I was crying and they were all congratulating me… it was fab!

“A male friend picked me up recently and carried me down the road on a night out. As he went to pick me up I was so worried that I was about to cripple him with my weight but he picked me up with ease, like a feather and skipped down the road with me!

“From being a half-hearted member of many gyms I now spend an hour there once or twice a week and do 20 lengths of the pool! It’s really helping to tone my body and it also gives me some time to myself. I’ve also started salsa dancing - I would have felt like a dancing elephant before and wouldn’t have been able to keep up.

“I take the children for long walks in the wood and we swim together and go to the park. They love being out and about and think it’s great that I come on bike rides with them, whereas before my husband had to go on his own with them.

“The effects of my weight loss are great. I don’t huff and puff as much as I used to and I know deep down that it’s lowered my chances of weight-related health problems in the future.

“My new ambition in life (strange as it may seem) is to bungee jump my way around the world! I was too heavy to bungee jump before – I was always told that there was a chance of me having a heart attack or being short of breath. I completed my first bungee jump in New Zealand in March. It was the most exhilarating experience of my life, I felt free as a bird (well for a few seconds anyway!). I have so much more confidence in myself thanks to Slimming World.

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If you'd like to reveal the real you, find your nearest warm and friendly Slimming World group, where men and women are welcome.