SUPER slimmer Jess Powell has rounded off a weighty year by posing as cover girl for one of the UK’s top selling slimming magazines.

The 26-year-old joined the affectionately-nicknamed ‘fat club’, Slimming World, in January and lost more than two stone in just six months, dropping from 12 stone 5 lbs to 10 stone by July.

When the national organisation found out about her achievements they asked her to share her story and help inspire others to fight the fat.

“I didn’t realise until just before the magazine came out that they were putting me on the front cover,” said the learning and development adviser in adult education at New College.

“I was shocked and surprised. It’s such an honour and a privilege to have my story in the magazine in the first place let alone on the front page. I was so pleased.”

After Jess, who lives in Haydon Wick and attends Paula Bolt’s Slimming World group in Abbey Meads, reached her ambitious target, she filled in a questionnaire online when she was asked if she wanted to share her story.

She said: “They phoned me up and said they wanted to do an article on the website, and it was from there that the magazine saw my story and wanted me to be in there too.

“They rang me up and I went up to London to do a photoshoot and everything and then it wasn’t until a few weeks later I found out I was on the front cover.

“I have always been overweight really and yoyo-ed with my weight but wasn’t really until the summer before I joined Slimming World that I really wanted to do something about it.

“I was with my boyfriend and his nan asked me if I had gained weight, and I was mortified.

“It was after that, I thought I really had to do something about it.

“Like everybody when January came around after Christmas I thought that it was a good time to do something and I joined Slimming World.”

Since joining the programme, Jess did not only successfully lose the weight but also learned valuable tools which have helped her change her attitude towards food.

She said: “It was strange at first but I am used to the programme and now it’s just everyday habit. It’s not a diet, it’s a way of life.

“I did worry at first about going to eat at other people’s houses or going out for meals and things but the programme is very flexible and you can adapt it to different situations.

“Since I’ve joined I’ve learned so many new recipes, which is particularly important since I’m vegetarian.

“Slimming World has such a great network of support too, and it’s really straightforward and flexible.”

Slimming World follows a food optimising plan to help members achieve their weightloss goals.

It revolves around group work and peer-to-peer support and shared experience to help change attitudes towards eating.

To find out more about Slimming World, call 0844 897 8000 or visit www.slimmingworld.com.