AN OBESE bride who walked down the aisle weighing over 22st is celebrating her 10-year anniversary by trying on her old dress after dropping half of her body weight.
Mum Belinda Brodie couldn’t find the perfect dress for her big day back in 2009 and ended up having to have a size 24 gown custom-made.
Since then, however, the Perth based Kiwi has completely turned her life around – shedding 12st 2lbs and six dress sizes.
And on her wedding anniversary earlier this year, she and her son Oliver managed to stand in her old dress together.
The sales coordinator said: “My wedding day was one of the happiest moments of my life, but weighing in at 22st 8lbs was definitely the hardest part.
“Preparing for the wedding should be a fun experience and finding the perfect dress is the most exciting part.
“Unfortunately, there were very limited options for me locally due to my size, so I had to buy my dress online and have it custom made.
“I still loved every moment of our wedding and felt like a princess.”.
Ten years on, however, she says that she feels better than ever before.
“My husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in Bali to enjoy the sunshine and each other’s company.
“I decided a special way to mark the occasion would be to try on my wedding dress again.
“It was really emotional. It brought back the beautiful memories of our wedding day but also how hard it was to actually get a dress due to my size.
“There was so much extra room in the dress that I decided to see if Oliver could fit in the dress, I was a ‘wow’ moment for both of us.
“Even with us both stood in it, we could easily move around in it as there was so much extra room.
“I am so proud of who I have become and what I have achieved. My life had totally changed since I’ve lost the weight and I’m happier and healthier than ever.”
Belinda’s weight started piling on after moving from New Zealand to Oz in 2007 and becoming inactive.
But after years of yo-yo dieting, things escalated after the birth of her son in 2011.
Two years later, she binned her processed carbs-heavy diet in favour of one chock-full of lean proteins and fresh fruit and veg.
She said: “I tried all the different diets. I’d lose a little weight, but then pile it all back on soon after stopping.
“I wasn’t happy with myself and was 15st 10lbs after giving birth to my son. I’d make huge batches of baked goods and eat the entire tray. It was horrible.
“I finally decided to make a real change to my health after I visited Perth Zoo with my son. I couldn’t keep up with him.
“He was running everywhere, and I’d be sweating and totally out of breath. It was so embarrassing.
“The next day I threw out all the bad things from my cupboard and started again.
“I began jogging each morning, and eventually joined a gym and went to fitness classes.”
In the first year, she lost nearly 5st and after that, the fat continued to come off.
Today, she does Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes six times a week, as well as taking long walks on the beach with her family.
Breakfast: Four pieces of toast, pancakes or waffles (500 calories)
Mid-morning snack: Bakery items such as croissants cakes or biscuits (400 calories)
Lunch: Fast food such as McDonald’s/KFC or a pie/sausage roll (800 calories)
Afternoon tea: Noodles (400 calories)
Dinner: Usually pasta or fast food (1000 calories)
Dessert: Ice cream or donuts (400 calories)
TOTAL: 3,500 calories
Breakfast: Oats or muesli with a coffee (250 calories)
Mid-morning snack: Fruit and rice crackers (150 calories)
Lunch: Protein-packed salad (400 calories)
Afternoon tea: Piece of fruit and coffee (100 calories)
Dinner: Meat such as chicken, lamb or steak with vegetables (500 calories)
Dessert: Occasionally low-calorie ice-cream or fruit (100 calories)
TOTAL: 1,500 calories
And when she and her husband Travis renew their wedding vows next year, she plans to take new wedding snaps to show off her new bod.
She says that she feels like she’s been “reborn”, and like she’s actually living her life.
“Now Travis and I plan to renew our vows next year and I can’t wait to fit into a small dress and capture some new memories in my new body.
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