Awful moment during jury service led to mum shedding nearly 10 stone
A mum-of-three who once found it difficult to walk short distances without becoming breathless has opened up about her incredible journey of losing nearly 10 stone.
Gemma Smith, who had struggled with her weight for years, always saw herself as a “happy, curvy girl”. Weighing in at 21.5 stone and wearing a size 24/26, it wasn’t until she was called up for jury service in 2019 that she realised the extent to which her lifestyle had got out of hand.
“I was put on jury service for seven months, realised that I was eating way more than I should have,” the 40-year-old explained. “I wasn’t working, everyone was at there eating sweets, bringing cakes in etc – people on jury service. I would always get toast on the way in.
“I started to feel really bloated and big. It was just the fact I wasn’t fitting in certain clothes. I fit a 24 pair of pants and thought, Oh my God, what the hell?”.
The turning point for Gemma, from Oldham in Greater Manchester, came when she noticed a colleague, who had also put on weight, struggling to walk short distances without getting tired. “A girl I worked with had gained a lot of weight during that time, and I thought, I’m not happy with this,” she said. “I want to be able to run around after my kids. I want to do something about it. She was 32 stone.
“I’ve always been a big girl from 18 onwards, so it was never really something that bothered me. I was what you would call one of those happy, curvy girls.”
Gemma’s wake-up call came when she found herself getting out of breath walking the same distance as a colleague who was also struggling with her health. “It was the catalyst – the fact I’d been off for so long. I wasn’t allowed to go into work and discuss the case.
“I came back in, and she was falling asleep walking to the lift, she was out of breath, and I realised I was getting out of breath same sort of distance. I thought, okay, that’s scary. I need to do something about it. There’s no way I can stay the way I am.”
Determined to make a change, Gemma reached out to friends who were also considering losing weight, but due to conflicting schedules, they ended up joining a different Slimming World group.
Fortunately, her mum offered to accompany her for support. “I spoke to a few friends – they said they would come with me,” she said. “They then joined a group I couldn’t make because it was on a day I was stuck in work. They ended up going to that different group.
“My mum said she would come with me, so I had someone to go with. I joined Slimming World Shaw in 2019 just so that I could literally start losing weight and get somewhere and have a life.”
As Gemma embarked on her weight loss journey, she quickly realised that it wasn’t just about dieting, but a complete overhaul of her lifestyle. “It’s a change of lifestyle – makes you look at food in a different way,” she said.
“The first meeting is showing you how to do the plan. I started swimming and going for walks. I was struggling at first but the walks got longer with the dog.”
As the pounds dropped, Gemma found her confidence skyrocketing, inspiring her to take on activities she’d previously avoided, reports the Manchester Evening News. “I’ve got back to how I was – where I’m dead bubbly, dead confident, willing to go out again,” she explained.
“Because with the size I was, I wouldn’t go out – even to family birthday parties and things like that. Now I’m more than happy to do it. Up until last year, I’ve never been to a music concert – now I’ve been to three in the last 12 months.
“It’s made a massive difference. I’m more confident, able to do a lot more, able to run around after three years without any issues and being out of breath. I’m able to do a hell of a lot more than I used to be able to do.”
The mum reveals that a dress she had coveted for a long time but couldn’t find in her size was one of her driving forces. “I bought myself a dress that I really wanted to get into right at the beginning. I had been looking at it for months and months – they never had it in my size. I bought it.
“I kept it right at the front of my wardrobe so it was the first thing I saw, no matter what. It gave me a target to go for. Have an idea of where you want to be at, but set smaller, more achievable targets. After each target, give yourself a treat.
“Once I got to 14 stone, I would get myself my motorcycle licence. I’m going for my full test next week. Saving up for stuff you might need and making sure you have those little goals set – even if it is a case you want to get into a bikini for the first time in your life.
“Because of excess skin I had, I’ve had to have skin removal surgery. In the last month, I’ve gone from a size 18-20 down to a 12-14. But the biggest moment of all came when Gemma walked into a high street shop and picked up a pair of size 12-14 underwear – something she had never been able to do before.
“Today, for the first time in about 15 years, I’ve been able to go into a shop other than a curvy-person shop,” she said. “I’ve been able to go in Primark and pick up a pair of 12-14 underwear – which I’ve never been able to fit in. Even XXXL didn’t fit me beforehand. Little things like that get you to the end.”