Foster parents Naomi and Jason Montague decided to use the first COVID-19 lockdown as a chance to carry on losing weight with The 1:1 Diet for their dream wedding.
And although they had to have a much smaller wedding than originally planned, because of the pandemic, their family didn’t recognise Naomi because she’d managed to shed an incredible eight stone!
Jason had also lost three stone by the time of their big day back in August.
And now they’re doubly celebrating as they’ve been crowned our In It Together winners of this year’s Slimmer Awards.
“We went ahead and planned our dream wedding during COVID,” said Naomi, 43.
“The stress of the wedding being on and off, moving dates and locations with only weeks to go, would have been a sure trigger in the past for both of us to have eaten our stress away.
“However, with Kelly Petts, our Consultant with The 1:1 Diet by our side, plus the support of my husband-to-be and - most importantly - a belief in myself, it all went ahead.”
Their families hadn’t seen them for months, because of the pandemic, until the wedding . . . and were in for a huge surprise.
“Lockdown meant my family did not know that I was on Plan, so it was an amazing reveal on my big day. I felt like a real-life princess as I stepped out in my wedding dress.”
It was the same wedding dress which didn’t fit Naomi when she bought it back in 2019.
“It had to be taken in twice before we were wed and that felt great!”
Even on their wedding day, foster parents-of-three Jason and Naomi, who have been together for 17 years, stayed on Plan.
“We both did Step 3 on our wedding day, which had been cancelled twice because of the pandemic,” said Naomi. “We ended up doing it over two days, saying our vows on 14th August and then having our reception on 15th August because of the COVID guidelines. They were the best two days of our lives.”
Their weight problems crept on, unnoticed, over seven years and seriously started affecting the couple’s health and to impact their lives.
Naomi said: “We decided to become foster carers seven years ago and we were too busy running around, to really see the impact of how our weight was slowly affecting our lives.
“My health was beginning to deteriorate and was experiencing foot and knee pain and skin conditions. We wanted to give our foster kids a fantastic healthy lifestyle, but going on walks with them was proving impossible as I ended-up limping and out of breath – what a great example we were becoming!
“My doctor kept saying I needed to lose weight, but I would leave my appointments angry and upset. I even considered changing doctors as I thought he just had it in for me.”
Naomi’s turning point came after her mum and nan both died from cancer.
“I realised It would probably be susceptible as well if I didn’t do something soon and my doctor knew this. I never forget the look in his face, at my next appointment, it was of real concern.
“He’d seen me grow up and been with my mum when she had cancer. There were tears in his eyes and he warned me that I would suffer a similar fate if I didn’t turn things around.”
Jason said: “When Naomi came home and told me what he had said, I also explained how fearful I was of losing her before her time. I didn’t want to grow old without her, nor did I want the kids to lose their foster mum. This was the wake-up call we both needed.
“We know he had recommended The 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan a few times to Naomi, so we went online and found Kelly. The woman who would help change both our lives forever.”
It was the start of a seven-month weight loss journey for the couple.
“She was so wonderfully caring and understanding that even, during the pandemic, we both stuck to Plan,” added Naomi. “We’ve gained a wonderful friend in Kelly.”Jason added: “This whole process has completely changed our lives and we have decided we want to help others, so we are now both Consultants.”
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