A marketing manager who weighed more than 18 stone says her husband's demand that she lose weight came from love, not criticism. Sarah Jones, 31, from Coventry, lost 7st after her husband James, a personal trainer, told her she needed to slim down for her health.
From 18 stone to size 10
Sarah, who is 5ft 2in, said she was always 'chubby' at school and weighed 17st 7lbs as a teenager. She met James in 2018 and they married at the start of 2020. Before the wedding, she dropped 4st by going to the gym and eating in a calorie deficit, but during lockdown she regained the weight and reached 18st 7lbs.
Her diet at the time included regular takeaways such as McDonald's, KFC and Domino's, with Sarah eating an entire pizza, two sides and a tub of ice cream by herself. In 2024, James told her she needed to lose weight for her health so the couple could 'grow old' together.
A husband's support
Sarah said James helped her to 'lock in', even skipping his own training to coach her at the gym. She is now a size 10 and weighs around 11st 7lbs. She shared a TikTok clip that opened with the line 'My husband told me to lose weight'.
Her first reaction, she admitted, was 'oh my gosh you think I'm fat and don't love me anymore'. But she explained that 'before you tell me to divorce him', his comments 'came from a place of love'.
Health concerns, not control
Sarah acknowledged people could see James's behaviour as 'controlling', but said it came from concern over her health and that he had told her he was still attracted to her. She said: "I was always the chubby kid in school and was diagnosed with PMOS [Polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome] when I was 15."
She added: "James said, 'let's lock in and do this.' It took me about a year to lose 7st and I've been maintaining it since. I want to lose 5kg but I'm happy where I'm at." Sarah said James told her: "I don't want to outlive you but the way you are going at the minute you might not get to 60 because obesity is a massive killer."
Living, not just existing
Sarah said she is now more confident and still shocked when she sees herself in photos. She urged others to move their body and invest in themselves, saying: "It feels like I'm living now while before I was just existing. I don't think I could do it without James."
James, also 31, said: "When I met her, I was blown away by her personality. As she started to open up mentally and physically, I thought 'this doesn't seem healthy'." He added that he wanted to reframe her negative mindset and show her the potential that led to the process.
