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25/03/12 10:00 PMThe incredible shrinking women - Telegraph

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The incredible shrinking womenAfter shedding half their weight, these four women are ready for a new

wardrobe. Fashion by Kate Rose Morris. Photographs by Michelle Beatty.

BY ANNA CHAPMAN | 25 MARCH 2012

Tamara McDonald 36, housewife

Then: size 28-30; 22st 7lb

Now: size 12; 12st 7lb

Height: 6ft

Slimming down

Tamara McDonald is convinced that her svelte size-12 figure is here to stay. After

she'd shed eight stone through Slimming World (she was one of its top 10 women of

the year in 2011), McDonald's two-year-old son was diagnosed with a cancerous brain

tumour. 'If I was going to put weight on again it would have been then,' she says.

Slimming down has boosted her confidence. 'Now people who knew me before walk

right past me in the street. I have to carry a "fat" photo around to prove who I am.' Her

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relationship with her husband has also improved. 'He says he's got a hotter, younger,

sexier wife,' she says.

DRESSING UP

'When you're big you can only shop in one or two places and the clothes are all made

from cheap fabric designed to hide the body,' McDonald says. After selling her old

clothes on eBay last year she bought an all-new size-12 wardrobe.

'I'm still not used to the sizing and often pick up an 18 at first. When I see myself in

the mirror it's always a lovely surprise.' She's proud of herself for losing weight, but

still has some reservations about her body. 'You don't have four kids, lose 10 stone and

have a perfect figure, but I'm quite happy with what I've got.'

Kate Rose Morris, Stella's deputy fashion editor, says, 'I chose a sexy below-the-knee

pencil skirt to show off Tamara's hour-glass figure, paired with a rose-coloured blouse

that brought out the colour of her hair.' McDonald was worried about drawing

attention to her legs by wearing heels. 'But as the skirt was long and cinched at the

waist, and the shoes were so high, the silhouette accentuated her curves and made herankles look slimmer,' Morris says.

Gemma Todd, 49, learning and development manager

Left: Gemma Todd in 2008, weighing 20st. Right: After her weight loss wearing

viscose jump suit, 229, by Max & Co, from Fenwick (020 7629 9161).

Then: size 26; 21st 6lb

Now: size 12; 11st 3lb

Height: 5ft 6in

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SLIMMING DOWN

'My brother had always been large and I took comfort that I was never going to be the

biggest in the family,' says Gemma Todd. But when he lost weight she no longer had

anyone to compare herself to.

Todd began the Lighter Life regime and lost almost half her body weight. 'Being fat is

like having a disability you've brought on yourself. I couldn't cross my legs for five

years because they were too chubby,' she recalls. 'Now my life feels effortless. I even

ride my own horse.'

DRESSING UP

'After you lose weight, it's like being allowed into a club you've been excluded from,!'says Todd. 'Now I don't have to go to a specialist shop to buy a bra the size of the

Titanic.' She wants her clothes to be more daring, but is drawn to darker shades as she

thinks they're slimming.

So she was shocked at the Stella shoot to find herself in a purple jump suit. 'I would

never have chosen it in a million years. I thought I was too short or pear-shaped. But

I'm going to be more adventurous.' Kate Rose Morris says, 'I wanted to try a masculine

look on Gemma to match her hair. She's slim but has an outdoorsy lifestyle, which

means her legs are muscular. So I chose a wide-legged jump suit to accentuate her

small waist and slim upper half. Gemma forgets she's transformed her figure and

chooses black out of habit. She's a powerful, vivacious woman - it would have been a

shame to put her in black.'

Andrea Shannon Dixon, 35, Weight Watchers leader

Left: Andrea before joining Weight Watchers. Right: as she is today wearing viscose

dress, 250, by Osman by Limited Edition, from John Lewis (0845 604 9049). Shoes,

140, by Ros Hommerson, longtallsally.com . Clutch bag, 214, by DVF, from my-

wardrobe.com .

Then: size 30-32; 26st 8lb

Now: size 14-16; 14stHeight: 6ft 2in

SLIMMING DOWN

Andrea Shannon Dixon decided to lose weight when she couldn't get size-32 clothes

past her thighs. 'I'm one of 21 children and my problem goes back to not being able to

leave the table until your plate was clean. I always ate large portions and if my

brothers didn't like something I'd eat theirs, too.' Dixon now keeps track of everything

she eats and goes to the gym three times a week. She no longer needs medication for

high blood pressure and diabetes.

DRESSING UP

The first thing Dixon bought when she started losing weight was a belt. As the stones

fell off, she cut up her old clothes and made them into a bed throw.

'I look at it and think, "I'm never going there again,"' she says. Growing up with 19

brothers meant that her style was always tomboyish. 'Before this shoot I would never

have thought I could pull off a dress. Now I've realised that I can look feminine and
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wear clothes that have shape and colour.' Kate Rose Morris says, 'Andrea is 6ft 2in so I

tried her in several outfits from speciality shops, but was disappointed with their poor

quality and frumpy design.' However, a simple bright dress by Osman Yousefzada for

John Lewis was the right length even though it wasn't designed for tall women.

'After you lose weight you need to learn how to shop for your new shape and not just

rely on specialist shops,' says Morris. 'You can only do this by trying on lots of

different clothes. In time you'll be able to see clothes on the rail and automatically

know what suits your shape.' After the shoot Dixon bought the dress and shoes and

wore them to a party.

Andrea Conway, 44, claims manager at an insurance company

Left: in 2008, weighing 22st. Right: Andrea as she is today wearing cotton dress,

330, by Vivienne Westwood, from my-wardrobe.com . Shoes, 85, by Dune (020

7258 3605).

Then: size 30; 22st

Now: size 12; 10st

Height: 5ft 3in

SLIMMING DOWN

When Andrea Conway saw a holiday photo of herself in shorts and a bikini top she had

a shock. 'I was devastated. I knew I had to do something,' she says.

In January 2009 she had a gastric bypass as part of a Healthier Weight slimming plan.

'My stomach is now the size of a tennis ball and I feel full if I eat half a tin of soup. I

feel like a new person.'

DRESSING UP

Before she lost weight there was only one clothes shop she could go to. Now Conway

loves the fact that she can go anywhere and pick up a size 12. Apart from the trousers

she wears for work she's ditched staple black items and buys dresses and bright

colours. She loved the Vivienne Westwood dress she wore at the shoot, despite initialreservations about its 'bizarre, sticky-out bits'. 'I felt really glamorous when I wore it

with the shoes,' she says.

Kate Rose Morris says, 'Andrea has a curvy figure and looks fantastic in clothes. At

first I tried her in a knee-length floral dress, which looked lovely, but was a bit safe.

The Westwood dress is more dramatic. It nips her in at the waist and shows off her

curves fantastically. People can be scared by volume in clothes - especially when

they've lost weight - but some well-placed draping won't make you look fat. It made

Andrea look modern.'
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