A BRIDE who lost eight stone ahead of her wedding day is preparing to take on her biggest physical challenge yet.
As Saturday’s Royal Wedding approaches, Charlotte Peacock is preparing for her first anniversary by encouraging others to stay positive and committed when trying to lose weight.
Charlotte, 26, dropped five dress sizes in the nine months leading up to her wedding to husband Rob Rankine after ditching her 15-biscuits-a-day diet because she didn’t want to be a ‘fat bride’ – and now wants to complete an obstacle race this summer.
Charlotte reached 18.4 stone at the peak of her weight, but then she lost eight stone – dropping five dress sizes – in the space of nine months.
With two young kids to look after, carer Charlotte could not find the time to exercise and meals would often be quick and easy, so she started to pile on the pounds – reaching 18.4 stone and dress size 20-22 by June 2015.
She said: “I felt self-conscious about my weight and was nicknamed ‘Big C’. Although I laughed along, it really hurt.
Having given birth to her second baby in June 2016, and with her wedding less than a year away, Charlotte decided to overhaul her lifestyle.
She joined the Rugby branch of Xercise4Less gym in September that year and started working out up to six times a week.
“I started off losing around two pounds a week, and people started to notice when I hit the 80kg mark,” she said.
“I no longer felt embarrassed to be myself around everyone, other than just close friends.”
After nine months of hard work, the wedding day arrived, giving Charlotte the chance to show off the results of her hard work.
“It was really the day I’d been aiming for and to be down to 10-and-a-half stone felt great,” she said.
With her one-year wedding anniversary just a month away, Charlotte has been preparing for a new challenge this summer, when she tackles an obstacle race for the first time.
“I’ve been trying to push myself with arm exercises and practicing the monkey bars so that I can give that sort of obstacle the best go,” she said. “I will be focusing on it more with my personal trainer in a few weeks’ time.”
Looking back on her transformation, Charlotte wants to encourage others in a similar position to focus on their own progress and not compare themselves to others.
“Don’t give up,” she said. “There may be days where you feel like nothing is happening, but it is. If you want a biscuit, have one, but don’t eat the whole packet. Don’t doubt yourself or compare yourself to others.
“Other people may have a thigh gap, or bingo wings only visible under a magnifying glass – but they had to start somewhere too!”
