Romford women lose more than 15 and a half stone combined
From left to right: Lorraine Ossom, 30, and Zoe Fitzgerald, 32, before their weight loss - Credit: Maxwell Gadze/Zoe Fitzgerald
Two Romford women have lost more than 15 stone combined and one of them is the July Slimming World cover girl.
Lorraine Ossom, 30, has lost 10 stone in 10 months and is currently the face of the slimming club’s magazine, while Zoe Fitzgerald, 32, has lost more than five and a half stone in two years.
In February last year, Lorraine began attending virtual meetings with Slimming World consultant Nikki David.
Lorraine, who works as a drama teacher, said she has gone from a dress size 24 to an eight or 10 by following the Slimming World plan “to a T”.
“I read the books, followed the plans and it worked really well for me,” she said.
Lorraine Ossom before and after her 10-stone weight loss - Credit: Maxwell Gadze
The 30-year-old - who lives with her two-year-old son and husband Clement, 34 - said she never had attempted weight loss before she was diagnosed with type two diabetes in September 2018, a condition which runs in her family.
Diabetes is a condition related to the production of insulin which causes blood sugar levels to become too high and according to diabetes.org, 90 per cent of people with the illness in the UK have type two.
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Since losing the weight, Lorraine's diabetes has gone into remission.
Lorraine said: “I didn’t really have a weight loss goal, my goal was more to get my diabetes under control and if possible, reverse it.”
The biggest change in her lifestyle has been “paying more attention to detail in terms of what goes into food" she eats.
“I had a very healthy relationship with myself before this, so it never came from a place of self-loathing at all," she said.
Lorraine believes her weight loss has been “an achievement and milestone for the whole family” and said those hoping to lose weight should place emphasis on “health and how much better you will feel in terms of knowing you’re well”.
The 30-year-old said being on the cover of Slimming World magazine has given her the chance to meet and interact with a huge community.
Photos of Zoe Fitzgerald before and after her weight loss - Credit: Zoe Fitzgerald
Zoe, who works as a process and debt recovery officer, lost more than five and a half stone in two years.
The 32-year-old weighed 15 stone at her heaviest and was borderline diabetic.
“My proudest achievement to date is taking back control of my health, which is now stable," she said. "This was the thing that was most important to me."
