Ravensthorpe woman sheds three stone while her husband works in Afghanistan

Michelle Patterson lost 3st 4.5lb in just 16 weeks after joining a Mirfield slimming group.

She started dieting when her husband Stuart’s job with the Navy, Army and Airforce Institutes (NAAFI) took him to Afghanistan in January.

By the time he returned, Mrs Patterson had dropped from a size 20 to a size 16 and reached her target weight of 13st.

“I came out of the car and it was stunning,” Mr Patterson said.

“I think she has done phenomenally well. She is a fitter person.”

The couple, both 40, met while they were both working for the NAAFI – a job that has taken them all over the world.

They married in July last year, and then Mrs Patterson decided she wanted to lose weight.

“I was fed up with myself,” she said.

“I wasn’t fit and I just hated my body. I hated going shopping because I couldn’t get clothes that I wanted to buy.

“I thought it would be easier to do something about it while Stuart was away and it was a nice surprise when he came back.”

Within a week of joining Slimming World, Mrs Patterson, of Cravendale Road, Ravensthorpe, lost eight pounds. She hit her weight loss target two weeks ago.

She said: “The other members were over the moon for me, especially because I did it the week before Stuart came back.

“The weight just kept coming off because I was losing the weight and feeling fitter, so when I took the dog out I was going for longer and longer walks.”