I was so fat I’d squeeze into 46in waist men’s work clothes – then my sister died in bed and I transformed my life

A WOMAN who piled connected the pounds aft adopting her sister's children has mislaid a whopping 7 and a fractional stone.

Gemma Prosser, 39, was ever connected the "bigger side" but saw the weight creep connected aft her nieces - Rubie, 16, and Izzy, 11 - moved in.

Gemma and her partner, Gaz Regan, 39, a lorry driver, selflessly took successful the children aft her sister, Ceriann, 36, passed distant from a cardiac arrest successful September 2016. 

She passed distant connected her birthday, aft a play of celebrating together.

Now looking aft 3 kids - including her 18-year-old lad Iestyn - Gemma recovered herself turning to convenient meals similar pizza, chips and chickenhearted nuggets. 

At her biggest, Gemma deed 20st 9lbs. 

The self-confessed tomboy didn’t consciousness comfy successful dresses and would deterioration men’s enactment apparel alternatively – squeezing into a 46inch waist.

Gemma was “never bothered” astir her expanding waistline, until photos during a travel to Gower, South Wales, made her deliberation twice.

After uploading the snaps connected Facebook, she was horrified by her "rubber ring" tummy and was determined to displacement the weight.

She signed up to Slimming World successful August 2023 and wholly overhauled her diet, switching to healthy, homemade meals. 

In little than a year, she shed a whopping 7st 7lbs and was down to 13st 1lb and a slender size 14. 

Gemma, a mill worker, from Cwmfelinfach, said: "I became a mum-of-three overnight.

"I promised I'd look aft her kids, and I person my ain too. 

"I knew I needed to marque definite I was astir to attraction for them. 

"When I look back, I can't judge however large I got but I was gangly truthful I carried the value well.

"My humor unit was increasing, and I knew I had to instrumentality immoderate action."

Gemma was ever "tall and big" arsenic a teen and watched her value "balloon" aft giving commencement to her lad successful 2005.

In 2016, Gemma tragically mislaid her sister, Ceriann, connected her ain birthday, connected September 12, 2016.

Ceriann suffered a cardiac arrest - erstwhile the bosom abruptly stops beating - successful bed.

Gemma selflessly took implicit the custody of her daughters, who moved successful with them successful their location Cwmfelinfach.

She said: “My sister had suffered with precocious humor unit since she was 18.

“We’d had conscionable celebrated a large play for my day earlier she died. 

"Ceriann went to slumber and ne'er woke-up. We were truthful shocked and heartbroken. 

"It did marque we interest astir my ain health."

Gemma said she truly fto her “weight slip” implicit the past six years.

She ne'er ate meal and would snack connected cocoa bars and crisps during the day.

By the clip she got location for dinner, Gemma would opt for convenient oven nutrient oregon bid a takeaway.

"It was a hectic household, particularly with 2 much children," she said.

“It was ever easier to instrumentality thing successful the oven for america to eat, similar chickenhearted nuggets, oregon conscionable get a takeaway pizza.

“I had the fare of a child.”

At her biggest, Gemma weighed 20st 9lbs and wore a size 46inch trouser.

She felt much comfy successful men’s enactment wear.

“I utilized to hatred wearing dresses, I chiefly wore Dickies men’s enactment clothes,” she said.

“I retrieve wearing shorts and t-shirts astatine my cousin’s hen bash successful Portugal, portion each the girls wore dresses.

“I felt similar the unusual 1 out.”

LIGHTBULB MOMENT

In August 2023, Gemma took a staycation travel with her partner, Gaz. 

She struggled to locomotion connected the hiking trails without "panting" and suffered unspeakable genu symptom owed to her weight.

She said: “I was ever happy-go-lucky with my value – it didn’t fuss me.

“But my spouse took immoderate photos connected that travel of maine sat connected this rock.

“He was like, ‘I stake you won’t enactment that connected Facebook’.

“I uploaded them and I couldn’t judge however large my tummy looked.

“I knew I had to marque a change.”

Gemma signed up to Slimming World and attended her archetypal gathering successful September 2023.

She wholly overhauled her fare – swapping the junk nutrient for homemade meals with low abdominous ingredients.

The value started to autumn distant and successful little than a year, she shed a whopping 7st 7lbs - and dropped to 13st 1lb. 

She recovered the assurance to refresh her wardrobe excessively - buying sundresses successful a size 14. 

"I'd ever struggled with my knees but arsenic soon arsenic the value came off, I was moving astir much easily," she said. 

"I'm truthful blessed with however acold I've travel and kids are each truly arrogant of maine too.

"If anyone is reasoning of signing up to Slimming World - I accidental 'do it'.

"Don't beryllium acrophobic to instrumentality that archetypal step.

"As soon arsenic you get astatine the meetings, you won't regret it.

"It's transformed my life."