Charmaine Brooks put her wedding on hold for 18 years because she wanted to lose nine stone from her 18-stone body.
The mother of two lost a massive nine stone by following the Cambridge Weight Plan.
The 36-year-old bride-to-be tried on wedding dresses and said, “Now I have a new confidence.’’
“There was a time looking at holiday pictures made me cry and the thought of getting married and being looked at made me feel sick and hideous. Now I can’t wait to wed the love of my life.”
Her fiancee Darren Squires, 44, says: “She looks as beautiful now as the day we met. When I see her walking down that aisle towards me it’ll the happiest moment of my life.”
Charmaine revealed that she became so heavy that it was difficult for her to stand. She admitted that her life was not easy as she was put in to care for a year when she was 12.
She had to take care of her three siblings when her own mother was in the hospital. When she turned 17, she met roofer Darren, their love started blooming in a year and Charmaine got pregnant with his child.
“My home life growing up had been surrounded by alcohol, drugs and violence – and now I had this gorgeous man in my life who loved and me was so dependable,” says Charmaine.
She gave birth to son Nathan in May 2002 and had put on five stone.
“I ate for four, not two, and was told by nurses I was putting our baby at risk of gestational diabetes,” she says.
“Luckily, Nathan was born without health issues but, looking back, I know I dodged a bullet.”
Six weeks after the birth, Darren proposed. “I jumped at the chance to say yes,” says Charmaine.
“But we’d had a few drinks and kind of left that thought lingering as we dealt with sleep deprivation and nappies.”
Charmaine lost a three-and-a-half stone after her son’s birth and she found out she was expecting again.“Nathan was just six months, so during that second pregnancy I was so exhausted I survived on junk food. By the time Aimee was born I was 17 stone.”
“I had to give up the job that I loved, working with adults with mental health problems, to be there for Nathan and Aimee,”
“Within a few months we’d lost my income, our children were really struggling, and then the 2010 credit crunch hit and Darren’s work dried up,” she said.
She went into depression and started feeling negative about everything. “I was so bad I told Darren I didn’t love him any more as a way of making him push me away,” she says.
“I felt so negative. I couldn’t deal with the kids or the house. I slept almost all the time. Darren was left to do everything.”
“We went from frying pan to fire, but we never let go of each other or our kids,” she says. “When you’re dealing with that kind of nightmare, health is the last thing on your mind – and my weight rocketed again.
“I was eating up to 20 bars of chocolate a day and massive take-aways. My pudding after dinner every night was a family-size bar of Dairy Milk.
“I had zero self-confidence and stopped going out or putting make-up on. I was too big to play with my kids and couldn’t stand more than 10 minutes because of pressure on my ankles.”
They went on a family holiday to Poole in 2014 and everything changed after their trip.
“We had a pedal cart to go round the campsite and I had to get off as I was too heavy for Darren to pedal. I got back on and tried to take a family selfie, but I was too big to fit us all in, so a woman offered to do it.
“It was the first picture of me I’d seen in years. I was horrified. My arm was bigger than my head, and my thighs spilled out of the cart. I looked like an obese Donkey Kong!”
Charmaine decided to lose weight and started the Cambridge 1:1 diet, having nutritious shakes. “My consultants Christine and Costas at 2Cchange were amazing. I knew I had eight or nine stone to lose, but by breaking it down, I knew I could do this.”
“I was able to fit into some size 8 clothes for the first time since I was 17, and then knew what I had to do,” says Charmaine.
“I got a Love Books Online printed as Darren’s present, with the back page asking if he’d finally marry me – and the kids walked in carrying the ring. He said yes, more than 17 years after we got engaged.
“I had already bought a size 12 wedding dress – which I’ve had to have taken in twice. It feels like our lives are so special together.”
“We’ve been through such lows and highs. I’m now 10st 7lb and feeling incredible. And I’ve trained as a Cambridge Weight Plan consultant to inspire others. If I can do it, anyone can.”
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