Girl known by NAME at Chinese all-you-can-eat sheds five stone giving up takeaways

Gemma Peck shot up to a size 24 after gorging on takeaways twice a week

SHE was known by name at her local Chinese all-you-can-eat, but Gemma Peck realised she had to stop.

 

When I saw it I was horrified, I couldn't believe it was me. I looked awful

Gemma Peck

Gemma, 24, was on a night out with friends last May when a club photographer took a snap of her striking a pose.

Then 18 stone, the married stepmother was horrified when the unflattering picture was tagged on Facebook the following day.
 

The youngster and her husband were trying for a baby

Her curvy figure wasn't helped by a twice-weekly visit to her local all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet where they knew her by name.

She said: "On the May Bank Holiday last year some mates and I went on a night out. Hitting the town in my size 24 peach dress, I felt hot-to-trot.

"Then when the club photographer asked to take my snap I thought I really must be looking good."

She added: "Only the next day my pal found it on the club Facebook page and shared it. When I saw it I was horrified, I couldn't believe it was me. I looked awful."

A self-confessed "takeaway queen", Gemma was distraught, and immediately made changes to her diet.
 

This is the size 24 dress Gemma felt shamed in after a photographer snapped her picture

 

"They were shocked because they knew my name at the buffet. I'd walk in and they would hand over the chopsticks and nod in the direction of the buffet with a wry smile.

Gemma is far more confident after her weight-loss, posing in jeans

"I'm surprised they were happy to allow me to come back – I ate so much they must have lost money."

But her weight wasn't only an issue for aesthetic reasons, Gemma and her husband were trying to have a baby but appeared to be struggling.

She explained: "I was devastated. I'd always wanted to be a mum.

"The doctor said that if I lost weight it would be easier for me to conceive, but I buried my head in a bucket of fried chicken."

Gemma, a mobile hairdresser, joined a local slimming club and started going to Zumba classes. Within a year she had shed five stone and dropped six dress sizes.

 

She said: "I've always struggled with my weight, and Chinese food has always been my downfall.

"My husband Marc would always come with me and unsurprisingly it took its toll on both our waistlines.

"We'd eat until we could barely move. I look back and shudder when I think of how many calories we must have eaten."

Some people are taking their weight-loss stories to the extreme - with many opting for surgery rather than diets. 

She added: "A year on and I've shed a whopping five stone. Marc's even shifted almost a stone by eating my healthier recipes.

"I've even started walking and going to Zumba classes, something I'd never thought I'd be able to do.

"We're still trying for a baby, but Marc and I are more hopeful than ever.

"I've got the photo that shamed me on my phone, and anytime I see it I'm spurred on. I'm so proud of how far I've come.

"And when I see that all-you-can-eat Chinese? I walk on by."