A STOURBRIDGE slimmer hopes to be an inspiration to others after losing almost half her body weight in the last 12 months.

Julie Jenkins, 50, weighed almost 29 stone at her heaviest but now tips the scales at just over 16 stone thanks to a combination of exercise and dietary changes.

She has lost an average of 3.5lbs a week over the past year after joining a Slimming World class at Blackheath Central Methodist Group.

Julie said: “I’ve heard so many times that you won’t be able to lose weight until something clicks and that’s exactly what happened to me in May 2017.

“Unhappy with my life and approaching 50, I decided it was time to stop making excuses and take control of my life.

“The more weight I lost, the more confident I became. I loved shopping for new clothes, getting my hair done and going out socially - all the things I’d previously avoided.

“My health started to improve too, after losing 10 per cent of my weight my diabetes was reversed, my joints didn’t ache like they used to, my BMI went from 68.8 down to 37.9.

“I am no longer dependant on my ventilator after being diagnosed 22 years ago with sleep apnoea and I am hoping to finally be discharged after my next appointment in July.

“I want to inspire people, so I started posting my meals on Instagram and within a few hours of putting my Instagram account (@juliejenkins549) on Facebook I gained over 145 followers.

“I want someone to look at me and say because of you I didn’t give up. I did it and now I am truly living."

Julie, who lived in Stourbridge for 13 years before recently moving to Rowley Regis, added: “I am thankful for all the love and support my family have given me.

"Seeing how proud they were every time I lost weight gave me the courage and strength to carry on achieving my goals.

“I also would like to thank Ann Deeley (my Slimming World consultant) and all the ladies and gents at the Blackheath Central Methodist Group who have been with me on every step of my journey so far.

“I couldn’t have come this far without their support, their encouragement and their genuine happiness for every pound I lost.”