Incredible! Financée sheds third of bodyweight to feel fabulous for wedding day
She cut fat through a weight loss plan which allowed her to eat chocolate in moderation and involved no exercise
Jack Elsom
A "colossal" fiancée has shed a third of her bodyweight so that she can walk down the aisle after years of putting off marriage because she dreaded shopping for wedding dresses.
Lauren McGeorge dropped over five stone in less than a year and now that she feels fabulous has decided she can finally be her partner's bride.
The 31-year-old from Stanley, County Durham, used to hate any kind of clothes shopping and felt insecure trying on items worrying if they would fit.
But after a staggering transformation earning her the new nickname "skinny Minnie" among colleagues she has booked her wedding and cannot wait to begin her search for dresses.
Lauren McGeorge from Stanley has lost over five stone using Slimming World (Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
Speaking to the Chronicle, Lauren said: "I've always hated any kind of shopping and the thought of trying on wedding dresses used to scare me.
"We've been engaged for a long time but I wouldn't have been able to to wear a strapless dress.
"Now I can't wait to try them on, I'm really excited!"
After looking in the mirror soon after her 30th birthday and realising she had become "colossal", the mother-of-three signed up to the Stanley branch of Slimming World.
"I had always intended to do something but kept putting it off", she said.
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"I have some friends who had some success stories with it so I decided to join.
"I have got three kids so I wanted to keep up with them, but it was a body image thing too."
Although she went with a friend, Lauren said that walking into the first session weighing just over 16 stone was nerve wracking because she did not know what to expect.
However, her anxiety soon vanished when she discovered how relaxed and judgement-free the group felt.
"I sat down with Amy, my consultant, who was so friendly and made me feel really included.
"There's absolutely no shame."
Lauren before the weight loss with children Emily, Aidan and Dominic
Ten months after Lauren first stepped on the Slimming World scales she now weighs only 11 stone, feels much healthier and can do things was once unable to.
She has bought an annual pass for Beamish Museum so that she can take her children, something she would never have done last year because she did not have the energy to walk around the grounds.
Lauren was also shocked that her weight loss plan involved no exercise regime and allowed her to continue eating the occasional bar of chocolate.
She explained that she was allowed 15 'syns' a day which were calculated using a handbook provided by Slimming World.
Snacking on a bag of popcorn was out of the question as that totalled 16 'sins' but a unit of gin was only three, which was a relief for Lauren.
She said: "The hardest part was trying to cut out sweets and crisps.
"Because my partner Scott is away a lot for work, I would make the kids' dinner each night and pick at bits when cooking.
"Now I just divide my plate into protein, carbs and a load of vegetables.
Lauren before the weight loss with partner Scott Ritchie
"Instead of having sweets, I'll have an apple."
Lauren said that her newfound healthy lifestyle has trickled down to her four children, Kyle, 14, Aiden, 7, Dominic, 4 and Emily, 2, who now also enjoy plenty of fruit and vegetables with meals.
She plans to marry her 33-year-old fiancé Scott Ritchie, a sign fitter, next September.