ONE of my favourite songs started to play as I walked into the bar, but hitting the dance floor was the last thing I wanted to do.
Getting ready earlier, I’d felt like a million dollars in my fave black leather dress – but now, I was suddenly self-conscious and ashamed.

Jenny Sargeant, pictured after shedding 10st without a single fat jab, reveals how one simple rule helped her lose weight Credit: Jenny Sargeant

Jenny, pictured at 19st, wearing the her favourite black leather dress Credit: Jenny Sargeant
At 19st and 5ft 6in, I was convinced everyone was staring at me. I was far too big to dance – I felt I was taking up so much space just sitting down.
Mumbling excuses to my friends, I hid myself away until it was time to leave. That night, before bed, I stared at my reflection in the mirror and made a promise that something would change.
Since my teens, I’d battled with my weight. After leaving university at 21, I joined a slimming club. I’d manage to drop a couple of stone, before putting it all back on.
Yo-yo dieting became a pattern, and each time I seemed to gain a little more weight than I’d lost. My meals were healthy and I cooked from scratch, but I snacked a lot in between. I loved pastries and biscuits, and bread was my biggest downfall.

After my son Cameron was born in 2007, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I knew my size was not helping, but I was in denial. I never weighed myself and I avoided the GP, knowing they’d give me advice I didn’t want to hear.
I developed vertigo and anxiety while driving, and deep down I suspected it was connected to my weight. I became so unfit, I couldn’t even enjoy a family walk with Cameron and my husband Will, who I’d married back in 2003 wearing a size-12 wedding gown.
I felt bad I wasn’t setting a good example and exercising with Cameron. Wracked with guilt, I found myself eating even more to ease my sadness.
Even though I avoided the scales, I knew my weight was spiralling. I’d always been fashion-conscious, and I loved buying clothes and getting dressed up. But I had every size ranging from 10 to 22 in my wardrobe. It was getting ridiculous – and it was so much harder to find clothes I liked in bigger sizes.

Then came the night out in February 2025, when I made myself that promise. Shortly after, I signed up to Weight Watchers. I didn’t even consider weight-loss jabs, as I wanted to educate myself about food so it was more sustainable. Plus, I’m terrified of needles!
Instead of sweets and biscuits, I began snacking on fruit and raw vegetables. I cut out bread completely, and, week by week, I lost more and more weight.
Making a rule not to eat after 6pm, I began getting up at 5.45am to walk for 80 minutes before work. I also swam six times a week. My whole lifestyle changed, and I felt so much better in myself.
The way strangers treated me changed, too – I noticed that the slimmer I got, the nicer they became.

Just 12 months later, I reached my goal weight of 9st 4lb, having shed almost 10st. At a size 10, I’d dropped six dress sizes. I’d lost more than I now weighed!
Will said I should do something to celebrate, so in March I threw a ‘half the weight, twice the power’ bash. I had a sash made, and filled goodie bags for my guests with personalised champagne flutes and a note for them to write about what empowers them as women.

Jenny’s tip for others losing weight would be to keep your eye on your goal Credit: Jenny Sargeant

Jenny had her dress altered for her weight-loss party Credit: Jenny Sargeant
Best of all, I found a tailor to alter my black leather dress down from a size 22 to a 10.
On the night, we all met in a restaurant, and I wore a different dress. I hung the leather dress on the wall under a suit carrier. After we’d eaten, I unveiled it and explained it was the same black leather number that had sparked my weight-loss journey. My friends couldn’t believe it!

They insisted I change into it straightaway, before we hit the cocktails.
In July, I’m planning a 26-mile charity walk for Alzheimer’s Society. I’ve gone from struggling with pain and long-term health issues to training for a marathon trek.
After 18 years of blood-pressure medication, my readings are now normal, my health is good and I feel strong, energised and capable of anything. I haven’t just lost weight, I’ve rebuilt my life.
My tip for others losing weight would be to keep your eye on your goal. Now, my little black dress means so much – like me, it’s been on a journey.

BTW

Nearly two-thirds of adults in the UK are overweight or obese.*
Four in 10 Brits are actively trying to lose weight.**
Around 1.6 million UK adults have used ‘fat jabs’ to lose weight.***
Sources: *Gov.uk **Ipsos ***UCL