Bride Not Paying for ‘Fat Tax’ on Plus Size Wedding Dress, Loses 135 lbs.

A would-be bride, Mary Jane O’Toole had a dream wedding dress in mind. It was cleavage-baring with a dramatic accent. However, as she tips the scale at 281 lbs, she knew that her problem lies beyond wearing her dream wedding dress.

Though she grew up overweight, fast food dinners and lack of exercise made Mary Jane clinically obese.

It did not help his would-be husband thought that as long as he works out, he could eat whatever he wants. Mary Jane adopted this mindset but never became active. Both of them ballooned up.

Her excess weight also caused her pain, as her knees could not bear the weight of her body. She was at a cousin’s wedding, and she joined a group dance. As she was getting low, her knees hurt and she thought she was having arthritis.

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This was me at my biggest. One week after this photo was taken I started @loseitapp. Scroll for my letter to my old self from my new self. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• For my 24th birthday my then boyfriend, now fiancé, surprised me with a trip to @waltdisneyworld to go on the Wild Africa Trek. It was something I had always dreamt of doing. I love Disney and grew up in the parks. It has always held a special place in my heart. Now more than ever before, I can say Disney has changed my life. This trip was the catalyst into being a healthier person. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Here’s the low down on the trek: you arrive at animal kingdom with a park admission and additionally purchase the trek. There is a weight restriction because you end up on wiring systems over crocodiles and hippos. (I was terrified that I was too fat, which I almost was 😬). You’re in a small group and two very knowledgeable cast members guide through the forests and behind the scenes animal enclosures. IT IS AMAZING. Disney feeds you a beautiful breakfast or lunch and you go on to take a safari ride to close out the day. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I felt sick this morning looking at these photos of the almost 300 lb me. Now, weighing in at 146 lbs I can’t believe that girl in the photo existed. She was happy, energetic, and knew no different. However, now with all the weight off, I have an energy I never knew was possible and a love for myself I didn’t think could exist. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• What can you be doing to treat your body better? •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #instadaily #transformation #fitnessgirl #fitness #motivation #emotionaleating #wdw #girlwhoworkout #eatwhatyouwant #fbf #ilovefood #blogger #instafit #iweigh #animalkindgom #lifestyle #biggirl #fitgirl #thennowtomorrow #bullied #OOTD #yoga #inspiration #flashbackfriday #twoyearslater #lifelongjourney #imtryingmybest

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But it was a photo from a trip to the Animal Kingdom at Disney World that motivated her to lose weight. According to her, she could not believe how big she became that she did not even recognize herself.

With the help of the app, LoseIt! the couple was able to set weight loss goals, track their calories, and monitor their weight loss.

Furthermore, she felt like she was paying a ‘fat tax’ whenever she buys clothes, as plus-size wedding dress cost way more than straight sizes.

Losing it

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When shopping for a dress I strictly told every bridal consultant I wanted my back covered. The back of this dress originally went down to right above my butt. This dress caused a lot of internal and external body image issues. Self hate talk, poking, prodding, corsets, and spandex. In the end I wore a simple undergarment and COULD actually breathe. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• It has become very important to me to love my body since it has carried me this far. All of my hard work deserved to be showed off. I’m so proud and happy I didn’t go with a big fluffy dress. While I don’t hate fluffy big dresses, I knew it wouldn’t be authentically me to wear something hiding my body. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #instadaily #transformation #fitnessgirl #fitness #motivation #postworkout #glow #girlswhoworkout #eatwhatyouwant #wedding #bride #lifechanges #ilovefood #blogger #instafit #yogaforeveryone #lifestyle #biggirl #fitgirl #thennowtomorrow #bullied #OOTD #yoga #inspiration #26 #twoyearslater #lifelongjourney #imtryingmybest

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After a year and a half, Mary Jane lost 100 lbs. When she reached her ideal weight of 146 pounds, she was able to fit in a size six wedding dress—a first time in her life that she was ready to wear a single-digit dress size.

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I’m back!! Took a bit of time off leading up to the wedding but here it is! I’m in a dress I NEVER thought I would be able to wear. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I must have tried on at least 20 dresses before I decided on this one. At first, I thought I wanted a dress with a bigger skirt to conceal what I’m the most insecure about. Shopping 8 months out from the wedding meant I needed a dress that could be easily altered. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• This dress, although so tight in places my rubs felt bruised the next day, gave me so much confidence. I have along way to go in the self esteem department, but I have to say – this dress helped push me. I was going to wear 3 types of spandex to hold me in and flatten out all my loose skin. I had some with butt pads and at one point considered a corset. In the end – I wore @spanx that were 2 sizes too big just so I could be smoothed out and not squished. That’s it. Always going to try to love myself more. (My groom, who I did @loseitapp with is down 75lbs and met his goal summer 2017). •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• #instadaily #transformation #fitnessgirl #fitness #motivation #postworkout #glow #girlswhoworkout #eatwhatyouwant #lifechanges #ilovefood #blogger #instafit #wedding #weddingdress #lifestyle #biggirl #fitgirl #thennowtomorrow #brideandgroom #OOTD #yoga #inspiration #26 #seventhanniversary #lifelongjourney #wine #married

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As for her wedding dress, though she was not able to have the style that she had in mind, she got a long-sleeved one that went up to her neck and with a bareback. She did not imagine herself wearing something that fitted, but she felt awesome since she worked hard to lose weight.