‘Misfit’ Lynn happy to slow it right down
CAHERSIVEEN WOMAN CHRONICLES HER HONEST AND HILARIOUS BATTLE WITH WEIGHT LOSS IN NEW BOOK
KERRY woman and disability rights campaigner Lynn Fitzpatrick decided one hungover morning that enough was enough when it came to her lifestyle. With the guidance of an online health and fitness programme, she embarked on a ‘self-improvement journey’, all while writing hilarious daily updates on her blog.
However, it isn’t the typical success story you’re expecting. From doing squats in a field with her boyfriend’s parents onlooking, to midnight feasts of ‘a big f*** off plate of crackers and cheese”, Lynn really did depict the reality of starting a new diet and fitness regime.
Two years later, she has turned her humble online diary into the form of a book called “A Misfit’s Guide to Self–Improvement” and it is as relatable an account of weight loss as it sounds.
On a morning in August of 2016, Lynn from Cahersiveen, now living in Dublin, found herself scrolling through Facebook in an attempt to soothe her hangover. She came across a weight loss inspiration post and that’s where her story began.
“I saw this random post of before and after pictures of a girl’s weight loss; it looked so genuine and after reading the description, I thought, ‘oh, that sounds okay’,” Lynn explained.
“So, I became interested in a programme that was linked to it; it was pitched as nutrition, not so much a diet, which sounds so much more ‘doable’. The course was online, and it started in a few days, so I really had to work fast in joining.”
And soon after began her intense exercise regime and a deep hatred for kale, both standout features of her blog posts. A big spoiler of her book is that the focus “isn’t so much on improvement but more so on hilarity”, according to Lynn.
“When I first started the blog, I had the blog on private so no one else could read it. I started CONCERN as to whether Budget 19 will have any real impact on the housing situation in Kerry was expressed in the Dáil by Independent Deputy Michael Healy-Rae.
“We have a very big housing list whether it is in Killarney, Killorglin, Cahersiveen, Aeast Kerry, West Kerry or North to share it with friends as it continued. I’m so happy to know that so many people relate to what my journey was like, it sometimes seemed like I was the only person who felt like this when I was in the programme.”
Although the programme was labelled as a course in ‘nutrition, fitness and mind-set’, it definitely didn’t have the most positive effect on her.
“We had this big group chat for all of us who were doing this online course and we would post our updates on exercise, advice and, at the end of the day, we would say what we were grateful for. It was all a bit much.
“The few weeks I endured were just so intense, but I suppose that paid off. By week three people were commenting on my weight loss; there was a significant change.
“But overall, the lifestyle of it wasn’t sustainable.”
Unsustainable a lifestyle as it was, at the time of embarking on her transformation journey, she was beginning her headlining fight for the future of a centre that cares for those who are vulnerable in society. Lynn’s brother Bernard is a resident of St Mary of the Angels, Beaufort so it is a cause very dear to her.
Last year, she received a huge reaction to her interview in The Kerryman and appearance on RTÉ’s Cutting Edge where she discussed the language used to describe the lives of those who are disabled.
“Currently, my father Jack is focusing on fundraising for St Marys and I am working on policies for the future of our care centres.”
And as for her diet?
“I guess the answer to the million-dollar question is no, I didn’t stick with the programme. I had many other things going on and this diet took up too much time and energy. She since joined a new programme Weight Watchers and found it “very humane” compared to the other course. “I’m doing it at my own pace, a pace that suits me. The weight fell off in the other course but I’m happier now. I’m being kinder to myself.”
And if you loved Lynn’s first book, there may be more to come.
“I’m in Australia for a while. I’ve never travelled anywhere like that on my own. I’m bringing my notebook, so I might write down some bits about my exploring, etc. Lynn also hopes to get back to writing a fictional novel that she first began in 2008.
Her current book is available on Amazon and in her parent’s business, The Market House, in Cahersiveen.