Jon’s joy as he loses more than fiancée Jessica weighs for wedding day!

Sidmouth Herald: Picture submitted. Ref shs Jon Borowik 2Picture submitted. Ref shs Jon Borowik 2 (Image: Archant)

A ONCE chubby hubby-to-be has shed the equivalent of his fiancee’s weight in flab after making a new year’s resolution to slim down for their wedding.

Sidmouth Herald: Picture submitted. Ref shs Jon Borowik 3Picture submitted. Ref shs Jon Borowik 3 (Image: Archant)

Jon Borowik lost an incredible nine stone in 12 months – shrinking from an XXXL to a medium – as he hated the idea of being fat in lasting snaps of the couple’s special day.

Bar manager Jon, of Peaslands Road, tipped the scales at 23-and-a-half stone when he popped the question to girlfriend Jessica Weller on Christmas Day in 2011.

The 23-year-old joined Sidmouth’s Slimming World group days later and ditched junk food and ready meals in favour of fruit and vegetables.

He has had to change his entire wardrobe three times since.

“Jessica is eight stone, so I’ve lost her in weight and more – it’s surreal,” said Jon.

“Annoyingly, she’s happy no matter what, but is proud of me and very supportive.”

Jon now hopes to reach his ultimate target of 10 stone before he and Jessica, 27, tie the knot in April.

“I didn’t want to look back at my wedding photos and wish I had done something about it sooner,” he said.

“I used to eat a couple of portions of fruit and vegetables a week and now I have 10 a day. It’s a big change.

“When I buy clothes now I still don’t believe I’m a medium when I was an XXXL before. It hasn’t sunk in.”

Jon said he was previously “lazy”, would even drive the one mile to work at the Victoria Hotel every day, and ate “for the sake of eating”.

On the outside he was jolly and joked about his size, but secretly he felt embarrassed and “awful” about himself.

“Now I can walk down the street with my head held high and don’t feel as self-conscious,” added Jon, who had been large since he was a boy. He signed up to Slimming World, which meets in St John Hall in Blackmore Drive on Wednesdays, together with a work colleague.

“I went in with the goal of losing one stone in four months, but I lost it in two weeks. That gave me real motivation.”

Slimming World consultant Katrina Barker, who runs the town’s sessions, described Jon as “amazing” and said: “He is such an inspiration.”