These stunning pictures show the amazing transformation of a super slimmer who shed a third of her body weight after being left mortified by a photo of herself.
Joanna Wojcik, 38, was so horrified by the picture – taken at a friend’s baby shower when she weighed 14st 10lb (nearly 200 pounds) – that she was jolted into changing her lifestyle.
She ditched the ready meals and takeaway pizzas that she gorged on while working long night shifts at a nursing home, opting instead for healthy, home-cooked meals.
And she managed to lose 4st 9lbs thanks to her ‘life-changing’ transformation and now weighs a trim 10st 1lb.
Mom-of-two Joanna, who dropped four dress sizes from a 16 to an eight, said: “It was horrible… I didn’t like myself. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where to get help from
“I wasn’t happy as nothing fitted me. If I liked something, I couldn’t wear it, and it didn’t look right on me because I was bigger. “When I looked in the mirror, I didn’t like myself, but I didn’t take pictures of all my body anyway.
“And then it was the middle of December when we had my friend’s baby shower. I sat next to her, and I could see all myself in the picture. It made me angry and upset, and I was frustrated as well. I felt like I had to do something,” said Joanna.
Joanna Wojcik after shedding a third of her bodyweight.
Joanna, from Alsager, Cheshire, said she had never had any major struggles with her weight during her 20s and was able to slim down after the births of her two daughters.
But around six years ago, she began piling on pounds that she could not shift after tucking into ready meals while working all hours in her demanding occupation.
She had tried different kinds of diets, but often got bored of them and would simply bang the weight back on as soon as she lost it.
But she was determined to act when she was left furious at the photo, taken in December 2021. She said: “If you work full-time, it does affect you.
“I never planned any meals, I just used to have ready-made meals many times, or order pizza or have takeaways and things like that. “I never thought that I could cook healthy food. And I didn’t know how to do it.
“I was always struggling to sleep because of very bad back pain. I had to be careful. I was struggling to go for longer walks. “And when I was at work, I had so many times when I was short of breath. I didn’t exercise at all.”
Joanna Wojcik before her weight loss journey began.
Joanna joined her local Slimming World group with a friend in January 2022 and lost a stone within a month. She says the group has been revolutionary for her and she has learned culinary skills that will stay with her for life.
Now, instead of ordering a pizza at work, she will prepare lighter options such as pasta carbonara and risotto – using a ‘one calorie spray oil’ to cut down on fats. She said: “It was so easy. But I did stick to the plan 100 percent. I did everything as I was told to do. I love myself now. I’m just happy.
“It’s life-changing. I don’t think now, ‘What should I buy, what should I eat’ – I just know that. Through the years, I learned what to choose and things like that.
“At the moment, I don’t have an issue with anything. And I love it because I know what to do and how to have a healthy lifestyle.”
Joanna says she has now become a better mom to her two kids Oliwia, 17, and Kornelia, 12 – and revealed how she’s learned to swim after losing weight. She said: “I feel like I’m a better mom now. Before I didn’t want to go and do anything, do any exercise, but now I’m more energetic. “Last year, I learned to swim when I lost the weight. I feel so relaxed after doing it.
“My daughters love swimming as well, so it is something we can do together, and spend time together. “And I absolutely love doing aqua fitness classes.” After achieving her target weight last February, Joanna has maintained her weight ever since and is now a Slimming World consultant herself.
Joanna’s typical daily diet before:
Breakfast: toast – white bread with butter or sandwiches, cereals with sugar.
Lunch: cinnamon rolls, biscuits
Dinner: meat with fat, cooked in oil or ready meals
Snacks: crisp, cheese, cakes, chocolate bars,
Joanna’s typical daily diet before now:
Breakfast: two Weetabix with blueberry, strawberry and raspberries, sometimes with banana, measured semi-skimmed milk.
Lunch: Fruits, omelettes or eggs cupcakes and salads
Dinner: chicken drumsticks, without skin, with potatoes, cabbage, canned tomatoes and dill – and fresh carrot thinly grated, with a little bit of sweetener
Produced in association with SWNS Talker