Wigan mum's amazing weight-loss transformation

Kerry Jolley, 39, is to launch her own slimming class to help inspire others who lack body confidence or motivation to lose weight.

The mum-of-two, from Platt Bridge, said she realised she needed to slim down when she saw an “unflattering photo” which did not resemble her own image of herself. “My son is 17 now and I started when he was just six months old,” she said. “I had always been slim but when I had my first daughter I just piled weight on. Then I got pregnant again, there’s only 15 months between them.

“I was really happy at the time but I had no exercise in my life at all. Everything was staying at home with my kids, which I did love, but I only realised I had put on weight when I saw pictures of how big I had become.

“I thought ‘it’s got to change’. What I saw on that photo was not what I saw in my head.”Kerry, who was 12 stone at the time is now a healthy seven and a half stone despite eating all of her “favourite food”. She has managed to keep the weight off for 16 years thanks to her devotion to the Slimming World programme.

As a catering supervisor, Kerry’s life revolves around all things food but she said it has not stopped her from maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

“Before I ate burgers, pizzas, crisps, chocolate, toffee. I still do all that now I just cook and make it in a different way. I have everything I had before just made slightly differently.

“I always use low calorie spray to cook, I don’t use oil. It’s all about choices.”

Kerry is so enthusiastic about getting others involved in the group that she has even managed to rope her husband in.

“My husband is jumping on board,” she said. “More for drinking alcohol than anything. It’s all about the choices he makes. Instead of drinking cider and lager he will maybe have gin with a low calorie tonic or Bacardi and diet coke. We still eat pizzas and things like that but we just make them ourselves.

“The best thing is I still get to enjoy my favourite foods like chicken Rogan Josh with boiled rice and a full English breakfast.

“I made new friends who share the same journey, there is no judgement everyone is made to feel welcome.”

Kerry’s new group will launch on January 17 at Abram Community Centre, Vicarage Road, Abram. Sessions will take place each Wednesday at 4.30pm and 6.30pm.