Struggling across a pumpkin patch in North Wales, red-faced Jess Hulley-Jones stopped to catch her breath during a day out with her young son. Weighing 15st 7lb and wearing a size 22, it was an enormous challenge for the Greggs worker to take her baby son Theodore on a festive outing in October 2021.
“I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, I can’t push him in the wheelbarrow because I’m so overweight,’” says Jess, 28.
“I couldn’t bend down to pick up the pumpkins either. They were so heavy and if I bent my knees, I couldn’t get back up afterwards.”
At 5ft 3in, with a BMI of 38.4, Jess was classified as obese. Her son was just 10 months old and it was his first Halloween. “I was really excited to enjoy those moments with him and make precious memories. I felt like a failure as a mother. I wasn’t with Theodore’s dad and was struggling as a single mum,” she says. Jess felt people were staring and judging her.
“Mum took a picture of me that day and I was just so embarrassed,” she says.
“I told her, ‘It’s just awful. You’ll have to delete it.’ I tried to hide myself behind a fence sign because I hated my body so much.”
Even finding a Halloween costume was difficult. “I just couldn’t get one that would fit. In the end, I cut holes in a baggy white T-shirt and wore ripped jeans when I went trick-or-treating with Theodore,” she says.
“That Halloween was 100 per cent the boost I needed to finally do something, but I decided to get Christmas out of the way first.”
Joining Slimming World and Transforming Her Diet
In January 2022, encouraged by a friend who had succeeded with Slimming World, Jess joined a local group. The results proved life-changing. Jess eventually lost six stone, reaching 9st 7lb and a size eight ahead of her wedding to baker fiancé Damon, also 28. Her BMI fell to 23.6, within the healthy range, and she rediscovered her self-confidence.
It was a remarkable transformation for the mum who had piled on the pounds since leaving home in her early twenties. “When I moved out, I could choose whatever I liked, and I ate all the wrong foods,” says Jess, from Holywell, North Wales. She joined Greggs in 2018, aged 20, eventually becoming a store supervisor. Long shifts and food cravings encouraged unhealthy choices.
“I was doing 14-hour shifts starting at 4am. I’d end up snacking on cakes, pastries and pre-packaged sandwiches. After work, I was too tired to cook, so I ordered four or five takeaways a week like Chinese and kebabs.”
When her weight reached 14st 12lb, Jess took action, losing three stone in 2019 by eating healthier, balanced meals. But five days into lockdown in March 2020, she fell pregnant with Theodore, now five. “I was very isolated during my pregnancy and ate because I was bored. Instead of eating for two, I ate for four! I snacked on Walkers crisps, frozen ready meals and takeaways,” she says. After Theodore’s birth, being a single mum and returning to work early made losing weight difficult. By Halloween 2021, Jess had reached her heaviest weight of 15st 7lb.
Realising how much her weight was affecting their lives, she knew she had to make a change. “I wasn’t the first one to take him swimming because I was too embarrassed to wear a swimming costume. I had to ask my mum, Liz, to take him instead. I was out of breath just walking around the garden with him,” she says. At Slimming World, members are encouraged to enjoy unlimited Free Foods, such as lean meat and vegetables, alongside measured portions of other foods and occasional treats. “I had no expectations, but in my first month, I lost over a stone,” Jess says.
What Jess Ate Before and After Slimming World
BEFORE:
BREAKFAST: none
SNACKS: Walkers cheese and onion crisps
LUNCH: Pasty, pizza, cake
DINNER: Takeaway, Chinese or McDonalds, or frozen nuggets and chips
DRINKS: No added sugar cordial
AFTER:
BREAKFAST: granola, fruit, yoghurt
LUNCH: pasta salad, savoury rice with chicken, Slimming World lunch bowl
DINNER: Fakeaways from Slimming World recipe book, like Sticky Chicken. Cottage pie with vegetables.
DRINKS: No added sugar cordial
“My mobility improved and I finally felt involved as a mum.”
Reaching Her Goal Weight and Getting Married
By 2023, she weighed 11st 7lb and met now-husband Damon that May. But date-night dinners and takeaways saw her weight rise again to around 13st 12lb. When Damon proposed in November, Jess became determined to reach her goal before their wedding on December 20, 2025, of dropping six stone from her heaviest. She swapped pastries, pizzas, cakes and takeaways for granola and yoghurt, fresh fruit and vegetables, chicken salads and Slimming World fakeaways.
By September 2025, Jess weighed 10st 7lb but decided to lose another stone. “That Halloween, we went pumpkin picking and I was full of energy. I felt like a whole new mum, pushing the wheelbarrow, running alongside Theo and picking up pumpkins so he could choose the one he liked.” By November, she had reached 9st 7lb and was a size eight.
Jess and Damon married at Highfield Hall, Northop, North Wales, five days before Christmas 2025. Theodore was their pageboy. “For the first time ever, I loved being the centre of attention. Before that, I hated having photos taken. It was really magical,” she says. The couple have since welcomed daughter Addison, now 12 weeks old, and Jess runs Slimming World groups on Tuesdays in Flint and Thursdays in Holywell. “I can’t wait to go pumpkin picking this year. I’m so proud I made the change. I’m still on my journey and now I love supporting others on theirs,” she says.
Jess’ Top Tips For Success
Be kind to yourself
Weight loss is hard enough without beating yourself up about things that have not gone right or if you have gained weight that week. You can’t change that but you can change what you do next. I always say to Slimming World members ‘You are only one meal away from having another good day.’
Eat nutritional, filling meals
If you’re filling up on high protein, high fibre foods you’re far less likely to be looking in the snack cupboard because they’re giving your body the nutrients it needs so base your meals around those types of food.
Compromise, don’t sacrifice
If someone had told me I couldn’t eat crisps again, I wouldn’t have been able to do this. You CAN still have a little bit of what you want every day. Just do it in moderation. You can’t have the chocolate and the sharing bag of crisps, but you can have a little bit of one of those things.
Consistency is key
Make small, consistent changes and stick with them until they become habits. At Slimming World we might measure out milk, for example, because we’re telling members they can have milk but just not in high amounts. Measuring might feel strange at first but you get to the point where you just do it without thinking about it and those tiny changes can make a big difference.
