A Shropshire woman who lost eight stone in weight and dropped five dress sizes says it has made a huge difference to her life.

Viv Pinder, 43, of Oswestry, began her weight loss 18 months ago having been spurred on by a painful knee condition.

Her weight loss means she is no longer in as much pain and an operation has been put off, plus her asthma has also improved dramatically.

She said: “I had problems with my knee but they wouldn’t do anything about it until I lost weight, so I decided to do something about it.

“Because of my health and having time off because of my knee, I went to the doctors and they were very supportive and recommended Slimming World.”

Since joining Slimming World, Mrs Pinder has lost eight stone and has gone from a size 26 to 16.

She said: “I feel brilliant. It’s made a big difference. I have got lots of energy which I didn’t think I had. I don’t get out of breath. I did have asthma but I very rarely have to use my inhaler. I keep one by me just in case but I have not used it for a long time.

“My manager made me a personal ‘I’ve shocked the boss’ badge because I have not had a day off since I lost all the weight.”

Mrs Pinder attends Jan Evans’ Slimming World group in Oswestry, but she also holds groups in Chirk and Ellesmere.

She revealed to Jan how she had never had an evening dress so was delighted when she went to try some on at Just The Right Thing in Oswestry after losing all her weight. She said: “It was amazing. I felt like a princess.”

Mrs Evans said: “The secret is no faddy eating, no counting points but healthy eating plans which suit everyone in the family.”

See Viv’s before and after pictures below