A SOUTHAMPTON woman is showing off her "new-found confidence" after going down three dress sizes in the last year.

The weight loss started when Hannah Bennett, 28, was relaxing in a garden in April last year, when one of her friends took a video of them all singing together.

But she found herself "utterly shocked" when watching the footage back, as she realised she wasn't happy with the amount of weight she knew she had put on.

Back then she was a size 14, but now Hannah wears size eight clothes - weighing 8 stone and two pounds - and said she feels "amazing".

She said: "My heart sank as I watched a video of me in a friend’s garden, we were all singing and mucking about, it was a great day, but watching the video back I was utterly shocked at how big I was.

"I knew I had put weight on but seeing it in a video made me realise I wasn’t happy. I decided something had to change and, in that moment, I became determined to lose weight and get back to feeling my best."

Hannah's weight loss journey began by trying SlimFast products, a food and drink brand that aims to help people achieve weight loss.

Having followed the company's eating plan - which includes milkshakes and chocolate meal replacement bars - for just over a year, she finally reached her weight loss goal of three stone just before the lockdown.

However, she said it has been harder not to help herself to her treats cupboard while being at home more often.

Hannah added: "I’ve been following the SlimFast plan for over a year now and I absolutely love it.

"To date I have lost 3 stone, I was an unhappy size 14, I didn’t like my body but now I’m a happy, healthy size eight and absolutely love my body and how I look.

"I’ve definitely found it harder being at home all of the time, it’s hard to not make a few extra trips to the treats cupboard. However, I just look at pictures of myself before I started or re-watch that video and that keeps me motivated."

She has recently bought her first bikini and wore it in her garden when the weather got warmer.

"Before losing weight, I felt like I had no energy and felt tired all the time with low self-esteem. But now I feel amazing, I’m not tired anymore plus I have a new found confidence," said Hannah.