Kirsteen enjoys a new lease of life Former dancer now wants to help others
A f o r mer c h a mpi o n s h i p dancer who pil ed on t he pounds and al so battled an eating disorder is now helping others choose the right path to staying fit and healthy.
Ki r s t e e n Mac k a y ( 2 1 ) , f r o m Greenhills, has gone from a size 22 and nearly 18 stones to a size 12, weighing11st 13lb.
S h e i s a l s o n o w wo r k i n g a s a pers onal t ra i ner a nd f i t ness instructor at an East Kilbride gym.
But, her j ourney hasn’t been easy, battl i ng bulimia with her weight becoming dangerously low – plummeting by almost eight stone.
Kirsteen said: “I had an eating disorder throughout my younger years and had to get counselling and had support from my friends and family.”
Kirsteen is now guiding others in their journey to fitness and helping boost their self-esteem after her three-year weight battle.
“I was a world championship dancer for five years but tore the ligaments in my leg which put me out for six months,” she added.
“I had been exercising five to s i x d a y s a we e k i n c l u d i n g my training , running and strength and conditioning work and was eating proper nutritious foods.”
“H o w e v e r, a f t e r I t o r e my ligaments a month into doing no training I was bored and I ended up just eating constant junk food, crisps and chocolate.
“I gained around nine stones in two years from eating rubbish.
“I d i d n ’ t r e a l i s e u n t i l I wa s on holiday and looked back on pictures when I came home with the family.
“I signed up to a gym and put myself on a no-carb diet, trained three times a day, six days a week, and lost two-and-a-half stone in one year – I was over the moon.”
But during this time Kirsteen’s eating disorder returned and she was making herself si ck t o l ose weight.
“I was tired, lethargic, had no e nergy t o c a r r y out day t o day things,” she went on.
“I ha d my ups a nd dow ns, I s t r uggl e d a l ot a nd t here were times I felt like giving up. Some days I would eat, other days I would just drink lots of water as I wasn’t hungry enough to have food.”
The former dancer then decided to take control in getting fit and healthy again and started a fitness, heal t h a nd e x e rc i s e c our s e at Cardonald College.
S h e a d d e d : “I t was t h e b e s t decision I ever made because I set myself small goals throughout the course to lose pounds here and there and become more focussed on losing the weight in a healthy way.
“My lecturer, Dianne Teo, who is the founder of Fat Burn Extreme, had mentioned the classes and I singed up to a class at Xercise4less and I have been instructing now for a year.
“Helping people transform is the best feeling in the world and it’s something that I want to do.
“I want to help people get on their way and make those healthy lifestyle changes and go on their journey with them.
“I’m now six stones down and I also started training in boxing and Muay Thai and had my first fight in May.
“I know how hard it is to lose weight and feel good and that’s the reason I made the decision to go to college.
“Seeing people being happy is what it’s all about.
“No matter what size they are you should never put them down but always try and help them.”