Lockdown slimmer: “People didn’t recognise me after I dropped 5st”
While almost half of Brits admit they’ve piled on the pounds during the pandemic, Poppy Blay found it was the perfect time to shape up
When the UK went into lockdown earlier this year, Poppy Blay put her time at home to good use. And now, thanks to meal plans and daily walks, the mum-of-two is 5st lighter.
And as England currently weathers a second lockdown, Poppy, 24, hopes she’ll continue to lose even more weight – and inspire others in the process.
Poppy, who lives in Northamptonshire with her partner, and their children, Olivia, three, and Archie, one, says, “Like so many people, I found the beginning of the pandemic a stressful time. But although I couldn’t control what was happening in the world, I realised I could control how I ate and prepared food.
“Now, I feel amazing, and I’m hoping that this second lockdown will help me get to my goal weight of 10st
11lb, which I think I can maintain easily.”
DESPERATE
Before Poppy had her children, she was a size 10, but as a new mum, she began putting on weight.
She says, “After Olivia was born, I suffered with postnatal depression – junk food gave me comfort. My diet mostly consisted of ‘grab and go’ food such as sandwich meal-deals, fizzy drinks and takeaway pizzas. By the time
I’d had Archie, I was a size
20. I felt awful. I desperately wanted to be a healthy mum.”
This January, weighing 16st 11lb, Poppy decided it was time to change. At just 5ft 3, she was classed as obese, and wanted to set a better example for her children.
She says, “As well as wanting to be fitter, I wanted to run around after the kids easily. My friend, Charlie, encouraged me to go to a Slimming World group with her and I was amazed at how simple the plan was to follow. It was all about using fresh, naturally low-fat ingredients instead of relying on jars and packets, which are full of sugar and additives.
“By March I’d got down to 14st 5lb and was so pleased with my progress.”
But on 23 March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK would be going into a national lockdown.
Poppy says, “My Slimming World group was cancelled, which meant no support from other members and no weekly weigh-in.”
However, she was determined not to let all her hard work go to waste.
She says, “I realised preparation was the key.
Every week, I’d sit down for 15 minutes and make myself a meal plan of what I was going to eat that week. Then I’d do an online supermarket shop. I actually preferred shopping online as it took away
the impulse to pick up any supermarket two-for-one deals on chocolate or crisps. And as we all had to stay home, there was no temptation to go for cake and coffee with friends either.
“If anything, lockdown made it easier to stay on plan because I was more in control. In the first week, I lost 3lb.”
GLOWING
Once the children were in bed, Poppy would prepare meals and snacks.
She explains, “My slowcooker came in really handy for healthy dinners. I’d snack on fruit and make low-fat dips like tzatziki and have them with carrots and cucumber sticks.”
With no weekly Slimming World group to attend, Poppy ordered a set of scales online and started weighing herself every Thursday.
She says, “We still had a group meeting online, and my consultant, Siobhan, was an amazing support, plus I had the Slimming World app to record my progress. Every day the kids and I would go for a brisk 45-minute walk. My mum Bonnie would often join us, maintaining social distancing rules. She noticed how glowing I looked and that my clothes were starting to hang off me. I had to order new ones online!”
By August, Poppy weighed 11st 9lb.
She says, “When I dropped Olivia off for her first day back at nursery, the staff had to do a double-take as they didn’t recognise me. It gave me such a boost!”
Now Poppy, who is currently a size 10, hopes she’ll continue to lose weight during the current lockdown.
She says, “I now weigh 10st 13lb and would like to lose another 2lb to reach my goal weight of 10st 11lb. I hope I’ll do it before December.
“I know lockdown has been a stressful time for everyone and lots of people have put on weight. I can totally understand why, but I hope I can give people a bit of hope that it is possible to still get in shape while we’re all stuck indoors.” By Elaine Hayward