I was so fat I was thrown out of a wedding dress shop – now I’m 10st lighter and can’t wait to renew my vows

A BRIDE-to-be who was "thrown out" of a wedding store for being excessively large mislaid a stunning 10st - and wants to renew her vows successful a caller dress.

Iona Thomas couldn't hold to prime retired the cleanable frock erstwhile she began readying her 2018 wedding.

At 23st, she was heavier than she wanted to beryllium for her large day, but she was inactive excited to spell shopping.

However, erstwhile she walked into 1 store, the assistants took 1 look astatine her and told her sharply that they didn’t person thing successful her size.

"I was truthful embarrassed," recalls Iona, 30, who lives successful Ipswich, Suffolk, with hubby Rob, 30, a web designer.

"I was fundamentally being thrown retired of the store conscionable due to the fact that of my size."

Luckily, Iona was capable to bargain different wedding dress from determination other and went connected to wed Rob.

Four years later, the mum has lost an astonishing 10st 7lb.

Looking and feeling fantastic, she present wants to don a caller dress.

"I’d emotion to renew our wedding vows next twelvemonth and deterioration a caller wedding dress," said Iona, who has 2 sons, aged six and two.

"I consciousness truthful overmuch healthier present and I’m concentrating connected bringing up my children to unrecorded a steadfast lifestyle."

The mum can't assistance noticing however otherwise radical dainty her present that she's slimmed down to 11st.

"I’m treated truthful overmuch amended present - radical volition clasp the doorway unfastened for me, grin and onslaught up a conversation," she said.

"But it shouldn’t beryllium similar that. You shouldn’t beryllium treated otherwise due to the fact that of your size."

Iona, a business administrator, had an unhealthy narration with food increasing up, and suffered from a binge eating disorder.

She said: "As a teen I would sneak multi packs of crisps and snacks up into my chamber truthful different radical couldn’t get their hands connected them.

"I spent my full beingness conscionable hiding nutrient and past binge eating. 

"It spiralled retired of power arsenic I got older, and the value conscionable kept piling on."

Iona met hubby Rob successful 2013 erstwhile they worked astatine a section attraction called Adventure Island and they began dating 3 years later.

"I carried connected binge eating. In the evening we’d stock a immense container of crisps and dips, doughnuts and chocolate," she said.

"We utilized to telephone it ‘slider’ nutrient due to the fact that it would conscionable descent down.

"Rob had a overmuch higher metabolic rate than me, and helium besides wouldn't devour arsenic overmuch of it, truthful helium wouldn’t enactment the value on.

"And helium would archer maine helium loved maine immoderate value I was, truthful it didn’t look to matter."

After the couple's archetypal lad was calved successful 2017, they acceptable a wedding day for 2018, and Iona went looking for a dress.

She said: "It was specified a traumatic clip erstwhile I got shown the doorway astatine the wedding formal shop. I was mortified.

"Mum and I went to a antithetic shop, and adjacent though this clip they were overmuch much helpful, I was precise constricted with the dresses I could take from."

'Different person'

Even though Iona enjoyed her wedding day, she was determined to lose weight afterwards.

So successful January past year, she had a gastric bypass operation astatine a backstage session successful London.

She said: "I was getting to the constituent wherever my knees were hurting me, and I had blood clots.

"I knew I could person suffered a stroke astatine immoderate point.

"Our eldest lad was five, and I’d conscionable fixed commencement to our 2nd son, truthful I said to my hubby that I couldn’t spell connected similar this immoderate more.

"I had to bash thing astir my weight. There was nary mode that I was prepared to hazard leaving my boys without a mum.

"It was a hold of up to 7 years having the country done connected the NHS, and I knew I could dice waiting, truthful I decided to person it done privately astatine a outgo of £12,000."

Iona underwent the operation, and present weighs 11st 3lb.

She said: "I consciousness similar a antithetic idiosyncratic now.

"My eldest lad looked astatine a photograph of maine the different time with Rob and said, ‘Mummy, who is that with daddy?’

"He couldn’t adjacent recognise maine erstwhile I was bigger. 

"And erstwhile Rob and I bash renew our wedding vows, I cognize I volition find it a batch easier to find a wedding formal this clip around."