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A woman has revealed that losing more than 8stone gave her the confidence to wear a wedding dress — and finally accept her partner's repeated marriage proposals. Yvonne Byrne, 46, admits she had always declined before because she 'never felt confident enough to have all those eyes on me in a fancy dress'.

Her long-term partner, Paul, had been popping the question for years — and she eventually said yes after losing 8st 7lbs. She dropped from a size 24 to a size eight — 18st 3lbs down to 9st 10lbs. Yvonne then celebrated with an intimate ceremony abroad in a "dream" dress she wore.

Yvonne, from County Wexford, said: "Paul had been asking me to marry him for years. 'I just never felt confident enough to have all those eyes on me in a fancy dress.

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"Last year, I finally said yes, I think he was a bit shocked! We had a lovely, intimate wedding abroad and I wore my dream fitted, white dress. Paul has been so supportive of my weight loss journey, I'm so proud to call him my husband."

Yvonne revealed she had battled with her weight for much of her life — tipping the scales at 18st 3lbs and squeezing into a size 24 at her heaviest. However, it was a spiteful remark about her figure at a wedding 11 years ago that truly motivated her to tackle her weight once and for all.

The mum-of-one, who suffered from an underactive thyroid, high blood pressure, prediabetes and back pain at the time, said: "I remember my stomach sinking when I was invited to a wedding. Finding a nice outfit to wear at a size 24 was a nightmare.

"I was only in my 30s at the time, dressing up should have been fun, not something to dread. Then at the reception another guest made a comment about how big I was in front of everyone at our table. At the time I laughed it off - inside though, I was crushed."

Yvonne, who has a 24-year-old son named Adam, subsequently decided to sign up to Slimming World. Prior to joining the weight loss programme, a typical day's meals for Yvonne would include skipping breakfast, cans of cola for lunch, and a takeaway, loaves of bread slathered with butter, processed junk food, and a litre or two of cola for dinner.

Following nutrition education, a typical day's eating for Yvonne now appears vastly different. She will have cereal or porridge with yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, a homemade pasta salad for lunch, homemade lasagne for dinner, and drinks sugar-free squash, tea, coffee and water.

When she began at Slimming World in February 2015, Yvonne weighed 18 stone 3lbs. By August 2016, she'd shed 8st 7lbs, bringing her weight down to 9st 10lbs.

She's successfully maintained the weight loss to this day and has been crowned Slimming World's Top Target Consultant 2026 - an award that celebrates the company's Consultants who've lost weight and sustained it long-term. Looking back on her journey with the weight loss group, Yvonne said: "I was so nervous before I walked into my first Slimming World group, I was used to failing when it came to losing weight and I desperately didn't want to fail this time.

"The group itself was so lovely and welcoming - nothing like what I was expecting. I was used to losing weight alone - so to be surrounded by people who were all on the same journey made the whole experience much more enjoyable. Celebrating each other's successes each week is such a joy."

Beyond transforming her diet, Yvonne also embraced a more physically active lifestyle and discovered kayaking. She explained: "Before I lost weight, I would never have even considered something like kayaking.

"The thought of getting into the wetsuit would have put me off completely - let alone being agile enough to get into the kayak and out onto the water. It's such a peaceful hobby, it really gives me time to relax and reflect.

"When I was more than 18 stone, so many of my thoughts were occupied by my size - and I don't have that anymore. Being free of that is just incredible - before I'd think of any reason I could to just stay at home and hide away, now I'm a 'yes' person."

Yvonne now works as a Slimming World consultant and has supported hundreds of individuals in reaching their target weight over the past nine years. Her guidance for those wanting to shed pounds is to transform their lifestyle rather than seeking rapid solutions.

She explained: "There is no substitute for changing your lifestyle - cooking healthy food from scratch, becoming more active and surrounding yourself with a supportive community. There's no pill, potion or jab that can beat that."

Yvonne's before menu:

Breakfast: Nothing

Lunch: Cans of cola

Dinner: A takeaway, loaves of bread with butter, processed junk food, litre or two of cola

After menu

Breakfast: Cereal or oats with yogurt and fruit

Lunch: A homemade pasta salad or leftovers from the night before

Dinner: Homemade lasagne, fish pie or burger and chips

Drinks: Sugar-free squash, tea and coffee, water