A woman who piled on the pounds after adopting her sister's children has lost a
whopping seven-and-a-half stone.
Gemma Prosser, 39, was always on the "bigger side" but saw the weight creep on
after her nieces - Rubie, 16, and Izzy, 11 - moved in.
Gemma and partner, Gaz Regan, 39, a lorry driver, selflessly took in the children after
her sister, Ceriann, 36, passed away from a cardiac arrest in September 2016.
Gemma's sister passed away on her birthday, after celebrating a weekend together.
Now looking after three kids - including her son, Iestyn 18 - Gemma found herself
turning to convenient meals like pizza, chips and chicken nuggets.
At her biggest, Gemma’s weight hit 20st 9lbs.
The self-confessed tomboy didn’t feel comfortable in dresses and would wear men’s
work clothes instead – squeezing into a 46inch waist.
Gemma was “never bothered” about her increasing waistline, until photos during a
trip to Gower, South Wales, made her think twice.
After uploading the snaps on Facebook, she was horrified by her "rubber ring"
stomach and was determined to shift the weight.
She signed up to Slimming World in August 2023 and completely overhauled her diet,
switching to healthy, homemade meals.
In less than a year, she shed a whopping 7st 7lbs and was down to 13st 1lb and a
slender size 14.
Gemma, a factory worker, from Cwmfelinfach, Wales, said: "I became a mum-of-three
overnight.
"I promised I'd look after her kids, and I have my own too.
"I knew I needed to make sure I was around to care for them.
"When I look back, I can't believe how big I got but I was tall so I carried the weight
well.
"My blood pressure was increasing, and I knew I had to take some action."
Gemma was always "tall and big" as a teen and watched her weight "balloon" after
giving birth to her son in 2005.
In 2016, Gemma tragically lost her sister, Ceriann, on her own birthday, on September
12, 2016.
Sister Ceriann suffered a cardiac arrest in bed.
Gemma selflessly took over the custody of her daughters, who moved in with them in
their house Cwmfelinfach.
She said: “My sister had suffered with high blood pressure since she was 18.
“We’d had just celebrated a big weekend for my birthday before she died.
"Ceriann went to sleep and never woke-up - she suffered a massive heart attack in
bed.
"We were so shocked and heartbroken.
"It did make we worry about my own health."
Gemma said she really let her “weight slip” over the last six years.
She never ate breakfast and would snack on chocolate bars and crisps during the
day.
By the time she got home for dinner, Gemma would opt for convenient oven food or
order a takeaway.
She said: "It was a hectic household, especially with two more children.
“It was always easier to stick something in the oven for us to eat, like chicken
nuggets, or just get a takeaway pizza.
“I had the diet of a child.”
At her biggest, Gemma weighed 20st 9lbs and wore a size 46inch trouser.
Gemma signed up to Slimming World and attended her first meeting in September
2023.
She completely overhauled her diet – swapping the junk food for homemade meals
with low fat ingredients.
She said: "I'm so happy with how far I've come and kids are all really proud of me too."
Diet before -
Breakfast - Nothing
Lunch - Sandwich, chocolate bar and crisps
Dinner - Takeaway pizza, chicken nuggets and chips
Snacks - crisps
Drinks - fizzy drinks
Diet after -
Breakfast - Weetabix
Lunch - Salad with protein like chicken
Dinner - low-fat cottage pie or spaghetti bolognese
Snacks - fruit
Drinks - Water
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