Maddy tells of holiday that charged her life
A Cambusbarron woman shed almost five stone after `extreme thigh chafing’ left her unable to enjoy a family holiday in the sun.
Maddy Day used to hide her size 16 body under baggy clothing but after a drastic lifestyle change swapped her desk job for that of a personal trainer.
The 30–year old former finance manager had been on a sunshine break in Majorca with her mum when she experienced chafing so severe she was unable to walk during a visit to a market.
Maddy, originally from Dollar, put herself on a ‘crash diet’ and ditched the weight in just six months. Now, four years later, she works as a fitness guru helping others shed pounds.
She started seeing a personal trainer up to four times a week and swapped her regular takeaway and supermarket meal deal habits for a healthier, more balanced diet.
At her heaviest, she weighed over 14 stone and wore size 16 clothes and would regularly indulge in greasy, fried breakfasts, takeaways and developed a two-litre-a-day fizzy drink habit.
She said: “I knew my weight had become an issue but it wasn’t until the holiday in 2014, when my thighs chafed so bad that they were red raw and almost bleeding, that I finally thought ‘enough is enough’.
“It meant I had to sit around for the rest of the holiday and miss out on loads of sightseeing. My mum even had to go out and buy special cream for me. It was humiliating.
“I’d never been one for exercise –I’d fake every illness in the book to get out of PE at school – but growing up I’d always been pretty slim.
“Like many people, one of my main problems was the fact that I became comfortable in a long–term relationship, and I was dishing up massive portions of pasta with sauce from a jar and pre–packed, processed meatballs a few times a week, simply because it was easy.
“Coupled with the fact I was working a super-stressful desk job, where I’d just buy and eat the quickest thing I could find for lunch and then snack and nibble throughout the day, it just became a downward spiral.
“So, the summer holiday in 2014 really was the wake-up call I needed.”
After losing some initial weight, she was persuaded to join a gym, but after a few weeks she decided to hire a personal trainer to help her tone up and show her how to get the most out of her workouts.
She’s since left her stressful office job and now runs her own personal training business.
She continued: “You’re always led to believe that losing the weight is the hardest bit but for me it’s keeping it off.
“It’s required a massive learning curve and my outlook on food, exercise and life in general has changed completely.
“Health and fitness has become my biggest passion, which is why I made the decision to become a personal trainer, so that I can help others achieve their goals.”