A Great Yarmouth woman was so horrified by pictures of herself on Facebook that she lost nearly three stone before her wedding day - which was only 16 weeks away.

Cheryl Teasdale - nee Shaw, 24, lost 2st 11lb in 15 weeks, motivated by the combination of Facebook pictures and the thought of having to walk down the aisle in a size 20 wedding dress.

When the big day came, the dress had been taken down to a size 12-14 and Cheryl met the love of her life, William Teasdale, a 25-year-old retail worker from Thurton, at the altar on August 4 - beaming with pride.

“It was the best feeling ever,” said Cheryl, “to feel so much better about myself on my wedding day.

“When I had seen the pictures and been to pick up my dress, I thought ‘there is no way I am walking down the aisle like that’.

“You need something that means a lot to you, to motivate you.

“You do not see it until it is right in front of you.”

Care assistant Cheryl, who has a son with William - Riley, aged one - attended a Slimming World group where she learned to change her diet. Before this, she admits she was “the biggest food junkie around”.

“I ate takeaway a every day,” she said. “I never ever ate anything healthy, not even a single drop of water! Breakfast would usually be nothing, I would then snack on chocolate, crisps and biscuits all morning, grab McDonalds or Rustlers burgers for lunch, snack my way through the afternoon and eat a whole pizza for tea.

“I would have around three bottles of coke a day sometimes. I now only drink water and no added sugar drinks.

“Now for breakfast I tend to have a yoghurt and fruit, or sometimes a ‘grill up’, low fat sausages, bacon, eggs, and a slice of brown toast.

“And for lunch I will have a chicken and mushroom pasta packet and make spaghetti bolognese with lean mince for tea. Snacks will be fruit, Wotsits, hot chocolate packets and so on.”

Since losing the weight her mood has improved, she has more energy, feels less tired, and can enjoy time in the evening with William without feeling sleepy.

“William always said I was lovely the way I was, but I wanted to feel better about myself.

“He always loved me, but he was definitely impressed with how fast I had done it,” said Cheryl.

“I was not always big, I put the weight on over the space of four years. The most amazing feeling is when people do not even recognise me when I see them.

“You have to always remember the reason why you are doing it and keep it in your mind.

“It can be done, do not be scared to go to a group alone, you will make friends straight away as you are all their for the same reason.”