When I was a youngster

The top photo was taken when I was 16, the next was my taken 2 years later during my 18th birthday party. I was about 11 stone 4.

I have never thought about this before.

2 years on from the bottom photo, on my 20th Birthday in 1996, I broke my knee cap. I was put in a splint for 7 months. Breaking my knee put my body in shock and brought on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. I was 12 and a half stone when I broke my knee and started to put on weight. I was engaged to DH and we were getting married 11 months later. On crutches the week after the break, I bought my 'to die for' wedding dress - £450 in half price sale - it was a size 24 and I was a 12. I remember the assistant completely assuring me that taking it in and altering it would be absolutely no problem at all.

We got married on 30th August 1997 - I was 20 and he was 26. I weighed 17 stone 11lbs (249lbs). I had put on 5 and a 4lbs(74lbs) in under a year. I remember crash dieting for 4 weeks to get into my size 24 wedding dress. I remember my horror that at the time I bought my dress, I didn't want a veil... now I was getting married without a veil or anything to hide my bulk.

I also remember this photo of me back in May 2007, before the band broke, wearing my wedding dress again for the first time in a few years. I was so happy that it fit again.

I am going to get that dress loose enough to swim in and then I am going to have it altered to the size it should have been altered to back in 1997 (or less!), and then I am going to wear it again on our next wedding anniversary.