Casey: “I was obese six months ago – now I feel sexy again!”
She’s dropped a staggering 4st since giving birth last May. Here, new mum Casey Batchelor shares her slimming secrets GIVING BIRTH
As a former glamour model, A Casey Batchelor had always been slim – so after relaxing her diet while pregnant with daughter Florence, she was shocked to be told by a health professional that her BMI was in the obese category after giving birth. But since overhauling her eating habits and turning to fast-paced yoga, Casey is thrilled to reveal her new figure in time for the New Year after dropping a whopping five dress sizes in six months!
“I am the slimmest and fittest I’ve ever been,” she smiles. “I feel amazing and so healthy and toned, and my confidence is back too. I finally feel sexy again!”
Casey, who shares Florence with her 32-year-old boyfriend, businessman Dane Goodson, admits she piled on the pounds while pregnant. She’d often eat up to three Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a whole packet of chocolate Hobnobs every day. The 5ft 2 reality star was a size 18 and weighed 12st at her biggest, following Florence’s birth in May.
HEALTH SHOCK
“I put on a lot of weight during my pregnancy because I wasn’t worried about what I was eating,” she admits. “I overindulged massively and, I’m going to be honest, I enjoyed every minute of it. Those Krispy Kremes and chocolate biscuits tasted amazing! But the downside of that was that I put on loads of weight – and even after I’d had Flo, I still looked pregnant.”
And Casey, 34 – who was praised for being “real” as she defended her post-baby body after cruel trolls mocked her bikini snap online – says it was the shock of being told she was clinically obese at a post-natal check and feeling so unhealthy that made her overhaul her lifestyle just two months after welcoming her daughter.
“Usually, new mums are advised to wait for longer before shaping up, but being told I was obese was a huge shock, my heart sank – I was worried about my health,” she admits. “I’ve always been proud of my body, and I didn’t want or expect to snap back into shape after giving birth, but I decided enough was enough when I got out of breath carrying Florence up the stairs. It wasn’t good for my health or my sanity. My boobs were huge and I was getting chafing between my legs. I was used to being super-fit and strong, so having my body change so much was difficult.”
INTENSE WORKOUTS
As a qualified yoga instructor, the former CBB star – who is releasing her 90-day challenge, Casey’s Yoga Blitz – realised she had to go back to what she knew best, devising short fat-burning yoga routines for her to fit in around Florence’s routine and naps.
She says, “As a new mum, you don’t have time to spend hours in the gym, so I started doing five-minute intense yoga sessions three times a day to really help with fatburning. It was great because it fitted around my life with a newborn, but also helped me to start to feel a bit fitter and healthier.”
Casey combined this routine with a 1,200 calories-per- day diet, devised by a nutritionist, which was right for her petite frame – and she shed the weight sensibly in six months. Typically, she now starts the day with a fruit and protein powder smoothie, followed by yoghurt and frozen berries midmorning. Lunch is often a mixed bean soup with sourdough bread, with a prawn stir-fry for dinner, and low-cal ice-cream for dessert.
“The food is amazing and I couldn’t believe I was able to eat things like spaghetti Bolognese for dinner and still lose weight. I knew it was important to have a balanced diet because I needed to fuel up as a new mum,” she says. “Eating well made me feel so much
healthier too and I have much more energy now. My focus was always on improving my health and my fitness, though.”
One of the biggest changes Casey has noticed is her bra size. The star has struggled for years with the size of her natural breasts, and in 2014 had a breast reduction taking her from a 34GG to a 34EE. After pregnancy, they grew to a H-cup, but her weight-loss plan caused them to shrink to a 34DD.
BREAST REDUCTION
“I haven’t been a DD since I was 12,” she laughs. “But I’ve noticed a huge difference – I feel much lighter and have stopped getting backache. And the big bonus is now I don’t need to have the breast reduction I thought was my only option after having Florence!”
With her newly toned figure and a happy home with Dane and their daughter, Casey says life is feeling pretty sweet. “We’re going on our first family holiday this month, which we can’t wait for,” she explains. “Dane has been so supportive of me. I even get him involved with the yoga – he enjoys it! Being a mum is amazing and we are both so happy.” Casey’s Yoga Blitz – 90 Day Challenge is out now at www.yogablitz.com at £14.99 a month