FAT BURNER’S DIARY

When Samantha Harding, 32, a medical secretary from Birmingham, lost weight and joined a budget gym, it kick-started a whole new lifestyle

How one reader fell back in love with exercise

THEN

When I was about to turn 30, I found my dream birthday outfit. But, uncomfortable in my body at a size 20, I felt horrible wearing it. My birthday was fun, but when I looked at the pictures, my happy memories were spoilt by the sadness I felt about my size. In my late teens, I’d loved fitness – I even studied sports education at uni. But after a few bad relationships, I turned to food for comfort and stopped exercising. I ate a diet of crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks, fast food and white bread – plus six cuppas a day with two sugars. It had been five years since I’d last set foot in a gym. It was time to change that.

HOW

In desperate need of guidance, I joined Slimming World in January 2016. Initially, the weight dropped off quickly – in 10 months, I lost 2st and reached a size 16. But then my weight plateaued. I feasted on fruit and avoided fats, so my nutrition wasn’t balanced. In need of a new kick, I joined a gym. At under £15 a month*, I decided that if I hated it, at least I hadn’t invested a lot of money. But after my first workout, it felt like my exercise hiatus had never even happened – I loved it. I started working out five times a week, doing a combination of cardio, HIIT and strength training. Three months later, I’d lost 6% body fat and dropped to a size 12.

NOW

I’m keeping up with my regime – training five times a week – and I’m now fuelling myself properly, too. I’ll eat protein-boosted overnight oats for breakfast, and protein-rich lunches and dinners with lots of veg. I’ve realised that I need to eat good fats as well – so avocados and nuts are now a go-to. I set myself fitness goals, such as running a 5k for Cancer Research, and, at the end of 2017, I qualified as a PT. Sharing how to become healthy and happy with clients is the next step of my journey – and I can’t wait.