A bride in the U.K. has opened up about her weight loss journey after slimming down to fit into her dream wedding dress – claiming she did it without doing any exercise.
Emma Roberts managed to drop an impressive three dress sizes in just four months ahead of her big day in May this year.
The 34-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England used to be a bit of a gym fanatic and would train up to six times a week. But she had to give up exercise seven years ago when she developed a cyst under her kneecap and suffered inflammation in her hips.
Without being able to work out Emma, who hated vegetables, salad, pasta and rice, began piling on the pounds until she was 176 pounds and a size 16.
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She was determined to drop the weight before her big day with partner Ashley Roberts, 36, in May this year, however.
Incredibly, in just four months the hairdresser shed more than 30 pounds to drop down to a weight of 144. Her waist was 10 inches smaller meaning she could fit into a stunning fit and flare dress in a size 10.
“When I gained weight, I didn’t feel very good about myself,” Roberts said. “I would only want pictures taken from my waist and above and on nights out I was no longer the fitter one wearing tight clothes, I’d switched to wearing dark loose clothes.”
“It got to a point where I made excuses to not go out with my friends because I felt so bad about myself,” she dished. “I even had a meltdown on New Year’s Eve in 2018 because I couldn’t find something to wear that I felt comfortable in. There’s no way I wanted to stay that way for my wedding.”
After her electrician beau proposed in October 2017, the woman set herself the challenge to lose weight for her January 2019 New Year’s resolution.
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She took herself out of her comfort zone by recording videos of herself and taking pictures to show her body transformation journey.
One of the contributing factors to her weight gain was the ibuprofen prescribed to help with her knee cyst, which made her stomach sensitive to foods containing aspartame such as low calorie fizzy drinks.
And the fussy eater – who had previously binged on bread, chocolate and takeout – had another obstacle, she refused to eat any salad or vegetables whatsoever.
Instead, the mum-of-one shed the weight by following a 600 calorie a day meal replacement plan - the 1:1 Diet from the Cambridge Weight Plan.
“I was in a constant battle with my stomach and would have to sleep the pain off most days, but I’m the best I’ve ever been since following [the plan,]” Roberts said. “Bread and chocolate were my vices – I’d use bread to bulk out my meals instead of vegetables, and after my meals I would always crave sugar.
“I’d either skip breakfast or have tea with two sugars and biscuits,” she shared. “For lunch, I’d have some chips, a breakfast sandwich or just take a packet of crisps and a bar of chocolate - anything that would let me stay an extra half an hour in bed so I didn’t have to plan lunch.”
“With dinner, I’d just eat processed ‘kid food’ that was quick and simple, and I’d have takeout about twice a week.”
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Roberts believes that drinking more water and being in a calorie deficit made her fuller quicker and was key to weight loss. If she ever had cravings or urges, she would go on clothes websites and add clothes she wanted to fit in to her basket as a distraction.
And within four short months, she had shed the pounds, leaving her proud to show off her svelte new figure when she walked down the aisle.
“[Ashley] told me he’d never realized how much weight I’d gained during the seven years we’ve been together, and he’s really happy that he’s seen my confidence grow,” Roberts said. “I’m now able to wear the clothes I used to wear when we first met.”
“My friends also understood that I had to cut back on nights out and put a hold on my social life. My bachelorette party was the first time I’d been off my diet,” she continued.
“When I went for my final dress fitting, it was amazing to hear that they’d taken 10 inches off my dress,” the bride revealed. “But I feel so much better now.”
This story originally appeared on The Sun. Read more content from The Sun here.