Couple find love and shed 19 STONE together after meeting at Weight Watchers
Sally Jones, from Doncaster, previously tipped the scales at 16 stone while Paul weighed a whopping 26st 9lbs
A COUPLE who found love at Weight Watchers have shed a whopping 19 STONE between them.
Junk food lover Sally Jones, from Doncaster, had battled with her weight since she was a teenager and tipped the scales at 16 stone.
After deciding to try Weight Watchers she met Paul, 38 – who weighed 26st 9lbs – and the pair hit it off immediately.
Both married at the time, they became friends – but lost touch when they gave up on losing weight.
Following the breakdown of their respective relationships, they met again two years later on a dating app and instantly fell in love – and decided to get slim.
Sally, 34, explained: “I was a flabby size 24 and desperate for a new start, when I joined Weight Watchers in January 2008.
“Everyone was so welcoming - and that’s where I first set my eyes on Paul.
“Each week we would seek each other out and chat about how our last few days had been, our slimming slips and successes, and our lives in general.”
But a few months down the line, Sally ditched the diet and stopped going to the group.
She admitted: “It just wasn’t working for me, but I realised I had looked forward to my weekly catch-ups with Paul.
“I was very fond of him and when we lost touch a few months later, I was disappointed.”
Before long the weight Sally had managed to shift crept straight back on.
Much of the strain fell on her marriage and she and her husband divorced – leaving Sally at rock bottom.
She admitted: “It took me two years to feel ready for love again, and in January 2010 I signed up to a dating website.
“I scrolled through the profiles and suddenly I came across a familiar face – Paul!
“I couldn’t believe it was him after all this time.”
The pair started exchanging messages, sharing tales of their divorces and joking about both falling off the wagon when it came to trying to lose weight.
Sally said: “It felt so good to talk to my old friend again and we set up a meeting a few weeks later.
“It was a cold February day, and I took Paul to a nearby beach.
“We were both wrapped up in our winter coats, talking about our lives and drinking my homemade vegetable soup from a thermos flask, looking out at the sea.
“Huddled close together on the sand, I caught Paul’s and felt butterflies in my stomach.
“Paul was so warm and kind, and I could suddenly see him in a different light.”
Realising they were falling for each other, their friendship blossomed into romance, and it wasn’t long before they began talking about marriage – and Paul popped the question.
Sally recalled: “Plans for the big day started almost straight away but I put off buying a dress for months.
“I dreaded going into a boutique and trying to squeeze my hulking frame into all that fabric.
“My mum and mother-in-law to be came with me to buy my perfect wedding dress, but I couldn’t help but be self-conscious.
“Most of the gowns on the racks were size 8 - and I was more of a 24!
“All I wanted was to feel like a princess on my big day.”
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Paul and Sally married in October 2012 – but Sally admitted there was no getting away from the fact she was “a big bride”.
After they tied the knot their bad habits only got worse as they settled into married life.
Sally confessed: “Every evening was the same. We would order a huge takeaway and gorge on snacks until late at night.
“I loved every second I spent with Paul, but our routine was doing nothing for our waistlines.
“We talked about dieting, but it never happened.
“We spiralled into a life that revolved around snacks and junk food. We were getting bigger and bigger.”
With neither of them being great cooks, the ease of a McDonalds or a kebab was always too tempting.
But two years getting wed, the couple decided enough was enough.
Sally said: “In military style, Paul and I cleared out the kitchen cupboards and went straight to the supermarket to replace the crisps and snacks with herbs, cooking oils and vegetables.
“Determined to finally shift the bulge, we joined Slimming World together and marched down to our first local meeting hand in hand.
“We were nervous - you always think you’re going to be the biggest one there - but we had each other and that was all that mattered to us.”
With each other’s support, Paul and Sally found they enjoyed cooking healthy homemade meals.
Sally said: “We worked better as a team. After all, we knew exactly what each other was going through.”
A month in the pair had their first weigh-in – Sally had lost 9lbs while Paul had shed an incredible 1st 8lbs.
Sally said: “I was over the moon and ran straight over to hug my wonderful hubby.”
Months went by and as their bodies changed, their relationship did too.
Instead of scoffing fish and chips on the beach they went for long walks together, slimming down one step at a time.
Sally explained: “Paul loves walking and I even took up running.
“There are challenging times, but we support each other and love the time we spend cooking delicious homemade meals in our kitchen together.”
Now, 15 months on, Sally had lost six stone and shrunk to a slinky size 10, while Paul has shed an incredible 13 stone - a whopping 19 stone between them.
Paul was named Slimming World’s Mr Sleek last year while Sally was crowned Miss Slinky.
For being an inspirational duo, they were even named Couple of the Year 2016.
Sally said: “We’ve made our bodies healthier and become an even stronger couple because of it.
“I’m so proud of our super-slimming achievement but I don’t regret us being a podgy pair - after all, it’s thanks to our flabby love handles that I found Paul, and found love!”