Insta-man!
First I got a new body, then a new bloke!
Posting before and after shots, I felt so proud
By Angela Crickmore, 38, from Nottingham
Growing up in my native Brazil, I was very active, a healthy eater, too.
Then, in 2002, my family and I moved to the UK.
Excited and intrigued by all the new grub, I was soon eating more than ever.
Then I met someone... We married a year later and my diet got even worse.
Working at a hotel, I ate large portions of chips, lasagne and ice cream for lunch.
Then, in the evenings, we’d sit in front of the telly scoffing greasy takeaways.
Come the weekend, we’d enjoy an English breakfast – and, on Sundays, a roast with pints of beer. It soon took its toll. ‘You always looked after yourself before,’ my mum, Maria, now 72, fretted.
Dismissing her concerns, I carried on bingeing. My waistline was expanding by the day. By 2011, I weighed 14st. At 5ft 2in tall, that made me obese.
I tried various diets, but always gave up. But, one day, my hairdresser friend popped round to do my hair. Wow! I thought. She’d lost so much weight!
‘How did you do it?!’ I asked.
‘Eating lots of veg and drinking more water,’ she replied.
I watched as she left, admiring her slender figure.
If she can do it, so can I,
I thought. Going online, I soon discovered a diet I hadn’t tried. Eating small, healthy meals every three hours. The very next day, I chucked out all the highcalorie, carb-laden food, like cakes and crisps.
And I snapped up everything in the fruit and vegetable aisle, reinventing my cupboards and fridge.
My hubby couldn’t believe it! The weight soon fell off. After eight months, I’d lost more than 5st.
Determined to lose even more, I joined the gym. Caught the fitness bug!
Going five times a week, for up to an hour, I was addicted.
Sadly, around this time, my
husband and I decided to split up after 10 years of marriage.
I tried to see the positive side. Everything in my life was being refreshed.
And, in 2015, I became a personal trainer, completing a degree in Sports Nutrition. By then I was a strong, toned size-6.
‘Why don’t you start an Instagram page, showing off your results?’ a friend suggested.
Great idea!
So, donning a bikini, showing off my muscles, I posed for pictures.
Posting before and after snaps, I felt proud.
Soon, people were following me, messaging me compliments, asking for advice...
How do I get a body like yours?
Keen to help others, I posted exercises, meals and gym tips. Within months, hundreds of followers grew to thousands. Then, late last year, I got a message from a man called Mark, 51. ‘I really need a personal trainer for a couple of weeks in Tenerife.’ Messaging away, we eventually chatted on the phone, and I agreed to fly over last December. There would be an apartment with two separate rooms. Strictly professional. At Tenerife airport, Mark was there waiting for me. He showed me around the town and we discussed his fitness ambitions. After four or five days of walking and light workouts, we decided to head up Mount Teide, to see the volcano. Such a romantic setting, I couldn’t help but feel the chemistry between us.
Something had just clicked. Mark felt it too. And kissed me! Feeling butterflies for the first time in so long, I knew our relationship had become more than just personal training.
For the rest of the trip, we found out more about each other, talked about our lives.
‘I don’t want to leave you,’ I cried at the airport.
He was going back to Nottingham, me to London.
‘Maybe I should come with you?!’ I suggested, living in the moment. ‘Let’s do it!’ he agreed. So I did!
Such a whirlwind!
But it felt right.
Soon after, I relocated to Nottingham for good.
In February, we returned to Mount Teide in Tenerife on holiday.
There, Mark got down on one knee.
‘Will you marry me?’ he asked.
Thrilled, I agreed to be his wife.
And, my Instagram following has continued to grow.
Mark was a bit jealous of the men messaging me initially. But now he gets it. I may have 140,000 followers, but he’s the only one for me.