There's no way baby Isabelle would be here if we hadn't both slimmed down
They had been married for 13 years but their dream of starting a family did not happen until they lost more than eight stones between them.
Now Dave and Sophie Webster are celebrating the arrival of daughter Isabelle. Dave, 38, from Cannock, said: "There is no way she would be here unless we had dieted."
And Isabelle, just eight weeks old, is keeping the pair on track, as they rush around attending to her every need.
Sophie, a 37-year-old health and safety manager, was the first to start shedding the pounds a couple of years ago, losing 2st 2lbs. Six months later, traffic officer Dave set out to follow her example but had a bigger hill to climb.
"Soph wasn't big by any stretch of the imagination but wanted to keep her weight better in check," he said. "We hadn't been actively trying for a baby but we hadn't not and she felt she wanted to eat a healthier diet. With me, it was a different story. The weight had crept on and I was shocked to find I was on the wrong side of 20 stone. It was a ridiculous weight.
"I used to get out of breath climbing the stairs. I didn't think I'd see my 40th birthday. I started a diet but I wasn't hopeful because diets don't work with me."
However Dave, who works for the Highways Agency, joined Sophie's Slimming World class at Hednesford on Thursdays and amazingly lost five-and-half stone in the first year.
The former military driver at RAF Stafford continued to slim down until he reached 13 stone 9lbs and has now maintained a weight of 14st for almost a year.
The couple, of Sycamore Way, Huntington, won the battle of the bulge by ditching convenience foods for home-cooked delights.
