A POLICEWOMAN who once tipped the scales at 18 stone says getting engaged was the motivation she needed to lose weight – and walked down the aisle in a size 10 wedding dress.

Charlotte Hutchinson, 29, says she was always a ‘big girl’, but saw her weight creep up in her late teens and early twenties, when she partied at university and got into bad eating habits.

Charlotte, from Aldershot, Hampshire, ate two takeaways a week and binged on crisps and chocolate.

She said: “I would never think twice about eating a whole chocolate bar in the evenings and one of the main things I had to give up was takeaways. We would have at least one or two a week.

“I always knew subconsciously that I needed to lose weight. It was always there in the back of my mind but I just never really did anything about it.

"I would go to the doctor for routine appointments and they always commented 'you really should think about losing weight' but even that didn't give me the kick I needed.”

Standing at 5ft 6ins tall and wearing a size 20, Charlotte, an investigating officer, said her size began to affect her confidence and her health.

Charlotte, who had a BMI of 40, said: “Being so big did really affect my confidence. Going on holiday or going out – even to family events – I was always looking for clothes that covered me up the most.

"It had started to affect my fitness as well. Going up stairs I would get really tired and out of breath.”

But the motivation for Charlotte to lose weight came when her partner of 11 years, Ricky Hutchinson, 33, proposed in October 2017.

She soon began to dread how she’d look on her wedding day, and didn’t want to be a big bride.

Charlotte said: “When we got engaged that finally gave me the kick I needed because I suddenly realised I wanted to look nice in my wedding photos.

"And when I thought about going wedding dress shopping, I knew I couldn't go the way I was. I felt embarrassed at the thought of going before I started my diet.”

Determined to feel good on her big day, she swapped takeaways for home-cooked meals and watched her portion size.

Charlotte’s diet before

• Breakfast: Three pieces of white toast with butter and peanut butter
• Lunch: Two white bread and cheese sandwiches
• Dinner: Chinese takeaway, fish and chips, or spaghetti bolognese cooked using oil with lots of cheese and garlic bread
• Snack: A chocolate bar and crisps

She saw the weight drop off – losing a staggering 6st 7lbs in the run-up to her big day after joining Slimming World.

And when she went wedding dress shopping, she was able to wear the type of gown she had always dreamed about.

Charlotte said: “I never for a second thought I would wear a wedding dress like the one I got because I never imagined I would lose this much weight.

"I was on a lot of wedding pages on Facebook and Instagram and I would see all these slim women modelling wedding dresses and I never even dreamed that I would be able to look like them.

“As soon as I put it on, I didn't even want to try on anymore. I knew it was the one.

"I didn't put it on again until it was time for the alterations four weeks before the wedding and the seamstress had to take it in three inches on each side.

"I bought it in a size 12 so it was like a size 10 in the end. It was such an amazing feeling and quite a shock. I didn't realise I had lost so much more weight since I bought it."

Ricky was shocked at the amount Charlotte had managed to lose for their wedding, which took place in Florida last month.

Charlotte’s diet after

Breakfast: Overnight oats with fresh fruit

Lunch: Homemade soup or salads

Dinner: Cottage pie cooked using cooking spray with lots of vegetables

Snack: A Freddo

Charlotte said: "Ricky was shell-shocked when he saw me walking down the aisle.

"He couldn't really say anything for a little while and I could see him welling up. Then he just turned to me and said 'you look beautiful'.

"All day, people kept telling me how fantastic and stunning I looked.”

The couple stayed on for their honeymoon, and for the first time in years Charlotte felt able to wear a bikini.

She said: “It is the first holiday I've ever been on where I've had this self-confidence.

"Before when we went on holidays, I would always cover myself up – even at the beach. I always have a cover-up dress or sarong.

"I never felt like I could wear a bikini but this time I just wore bikinis and no cover up. I bought about six different bikinis just because I could.

"It's the first time I've ever enjoyed wearing swimwear and the first time I've worn a bikini since my early teens. It was such an incredible feeling."

Charlotte said Ricky, a construction worker, is proud of her, but reminds her he loved her no matter what her size.

Charlotte said: “Losing weight has had such a positive impact on every aspect on every aspect of my life.

"Ricky loves seeing me with so much self-confidence. He says I come across more confident and more happy.

"He always tells me he didn't even realise I had that much weight to lose because he never saw me as a big person.

"He says he loved me then and he loves me now – my weight doesn't change a thing.

"My colleagues have all said I am more confident at work as well.

"I would really encourage anyone struggling with their weight to just take the plunge and start doing something about it.

"I told myself for years that I needed to lose weight but it's all about taking that first step and finding what works for you."

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