A mum-of-two has lost six stone and reached her ideal weight – after being horrified at the sight of herself in glossy property magazine.
Designer Becky Peabody, 44, was delighted when Ideal Home magazine asked to feature her Victorian home.
But she was mortified at how her 15 stone figure looked in the issue and was shamed into changing her fat-filled diet.
Three years on Becky runs three times a week and swapped her baggy size 18 clothes for a stylish new size eight wardrobe.
She said: “I’ve always been overweight and always been on a diet of some kind, but when a picture of myself was printed in Ideal Home magazine for the all to see, I was nudged into taking action.
“One of my proudest moments, having my house featured in a glossy magazine, was dulled by the embarrassing photo of myself staring back from the pages.
“My mother was showing the photo to the world, and what should have been a lovely moment was ‘oh my god, I look horrendous’.
“I knew I had to do something.”
Becky used to be a size eight, but piled on the pounds when she had children, leaving her reluctant to have her photo taken and dreading formal occasions.
The stationary designer who runs online company Dots and Spots was a prolific social media user, and Ideal Home magazine saw her photos of her own pretty home studio.
She was delighted when they popped round for a shoot at her Victorian terrace home in July 2010, but was devastated when the photos appeared in their January 2011 issue.
The 14st 10lb mum from Street, Somerset ditched junk food and managed to lose three stone in a year, but piled half if it back on the following year.
A year ago she joined Slimming World and saw the pounds fall away, thanks to a super healthy diet and regular running, and now she weighs just 8st 10lbs.
Delighted Becky, who is married to teacher Jeff, 46, said: “I feel 20 years younger.
“I can fit into my wedding dress again and I had my hair dyed peroxide white blonde like I used to do in my 20s.”
“I feel so much better in myself.”
Becky, who has a 15-year-old daughter and a son, 13, added: “I have always loved shopping but instead of buying what I could now I can buy want I want.”
