MOTHER and daughter Kim Kilfoy and Stacey Williams from Millbrook have lost an impressive combined weight of 12 stone 7lb in less than a year.

And now Kim, 46, is looking forward to renewing her wedding vows in a size 12 dress after losing 40 inches from her waist, hips and bust.

The full-time mum says health fears prompted her to lose over six stone in a year. With a six-year-old son to care for doctors warned her weight-related Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol was putting her life at risk.

But her forthcoming tenth wedding anniversary this summer also spurred her on as she plans to renew her vows with Stacey at her side.

Ten years ago Kim married in a size 20 gold gown from Debenhams but this time she will wear a long ivory wedding dress for the blessing as Southampton Registry Office followed by a party for family and friends.

Kim was 16 stone 12 lb and a size 20/22 when she signed up for Slimming World just under a year ago with daughter Stacey, 23.

But on December 22 she hit her target weight of 10 stone 7lb and has even lost a further 3 lb since, taking her to a tiny size 10-12.

"My ten year anniversary inspired me as we always said we would renew our vows. But as an older parent with a young child running around I want to be around to look after him and be an active parent."

Kim says she has had weight issues since her mid-20s but her weight crept up in the last five years as she use to comfort eat to cope with the death of her parents.

"I ate all the wrong things: crisps, cakes, chocolate, fatty foods - you name it, I've done it. Instead of eating one packet of crisps I'd eat two or three and munch through whole packets of Pringles. At Slimming World just one Pringle crisp counts as 'one sin' and you are only allowed 10-15 sins a day! It's been educational. It's got to be in your heart; it's hard when someone tells you you've got to lose weight. I had diabetes from the age of 25 when I was told my pancreas was packing up and if I didn't do anything about my weight I would die.

"I've lost and gained weight on all sorts of diets.As Stacey has got older we've been able to help each other. We are not just like mother and daughter - we are best friends as well. Whenever we have felt like breaking the diet we have supported each other.

"We are doing a lot more walking and energy-wise, I feel so much better. I now only take the minimum medication for diabetes and I do feel more alive. People think what we have done is amazing and inspirational and I feel so much more confident.

"Before I use to just wear baggy black tops and jeans. Now for the first time in years I'm wearing dresses - much more feminine clothes. Before I could never get clothes in the shops that looked good. Anything over a size 16 was for older people and it made me feel old. Now I can go shopping to places like New Look and Primark and buy much more fashionable clothes.

"We have a great team at Slimming World, Millbrook, led by Krystal. It's all positives - it's brilliant. You get to know lots of people there. I love doing it. It's my night out - I would never go out before."

Daughter Stacey was 17 stone 8lb and a size 20 but is now 11 stone 9 lb and a Size 12 - just 9lb from her target weight. She said: "What spurred me on was going to the shops and falling in love with a dress and not even seeing it in my size.

"And just working in a pre-school and having to be active, plus I was getting dark shadows under my eyes and my doctor said I was on the verge of being diabetic.

"Mum is my best friend and we've always done diets together but the thing about this is it's all about having a healthy life-style. We still eat pasta and meat but we never feel hungry.

"Before, I was always starving and now I'm not! I would literally pick all day, every day. Every day I'd eat four packets of crisps and a big family bag and six pieces of bread just as a snack in front of the TV and I'd eat cupboard food like biscuits and cake.

"I would eat at least 40 packets of crisps a week. It was just easy food that I could grab out of the cupboard. I never really thought about it. I just thought I'm hungry, I need food! "I'd eat what was easy, like sausage rolls and packs of cocktail sausages.

"Mum would cook me a proper meal - a massive portion and I would have bread too and wipe all the sauces up with the bread. But two minutes later I'd be hungry again. I always would be thinking about food - even at work.

"Once I started to lose weight it was very encouraging. I started to believe in myself. I now feel so much more confident; I can do things I wouldn't have done before. I would never speak my mind on anything before: I didn't want people to keep looking at me. Now I like to wear tight fitting dresses that show off my curves.

"I'm really proud of mum and I couldn't have done this without her. I would have given up a long time ago."

Now Stacey is looking forward to being Kim's Maid of Honour and, for the first time ever, is planning to go on holiday - and starting a family.