‘Bullies used to call me tree trunk legs now I’m a body builder
A DEWSBURY mum-of-four has dropped over half of her body weight and now competes as a body builder after her size prevented her from teaching her children to ride a bike.
Eva Underwood, 48, weighed 21 stone at her biggest but decided something needed to change after a traumatic incident made her reevaluate her life when she realised she wanted to be around for her children.
The mum-of-four says she has struggled with her weight her whole life and painfully remembers bullies at school would call her “tree trunk legs” - but she certainly got the last laugh.
Eva became stuck in a rut and would use food as a comfort during her lowest periods. Eva underwent a gastric bypass in 2007 and lost nine and a half stone.
Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be and by 2015 Eva had piled all the weight back on and returned to the same size she was. Shortly after she became a single mum and “yo-yo dieted” – never managing to maintain a healthy weight and size.
Following a particularly difficult time, Eva began doing PE lessons at home with her children during lockdown and going out on walks, the weight started to drop off - and what’s more this time it stayed off.
When the gyms reopened Eva decided she was going to take on the challenge of a lifetime by becoming a natural body builder.
She educated herself about nutrition and fitness and today she co-owns a gym in Dewsbury and prides herself on inspiring other women, mum’s in particular, to become fitter and healthier versions of themselves.
Eva said: “It’s been a journey and one that is difficult to sum up - I’ve battled with my weight ever since being a child. I was called all kinds of names at school - like tree trunk legs and things like that because I was always very big.
“Over the years I just got bigger and then had children and got even bigger and by 2007 I weighed 21 stone and I was size 26-28. In August 2007 I had bariatric surgery so I had a full Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and I lost nine and a half stone and went down to about size 10.
“But then between 2007 and 2015 I gained it all back again, I
had two more children and life just got in the way so by December 2015 I was back to the same weight I was to start with.
“Around this time I split up from my then partner and became a single parent, I went through the usual what people do after a break up and didn’t eat properly. I yo-yo dieted and went through a cycle of losing weight and putting it back on again, I continued to fluctuate with my weight right up until lockdown.
“In April 2020 I went through quite a serious trauma, following that I suffered badly with anxiety, I became a home worker during lockdown. I’ve been a civil servant for 29 years, but because my children had to be home schooled, I added daily PE lessons into their daily timetable.
“And their PE lessons made me exercise for an hour a day too, we were also going on walks a lot which we weren’t previously doing. I started becoming a lot more active and I started to lose weight.”
Eva continued: “When the gyms opened I decided I was going to join, I actually jokingly posted on my Facebook status I’ve joined the gym and I’m going to become a body builder. And one of my friends, who was a retired body builder, made a comment that you’re not a body builder until you’ve been on stage and got the trophy.
“Now, I’m an Italian lady and that was like a red flag to a bull to me and I was like you know what I am actually going to do this. I was given the details for a coach who was based down at Jet’s Gym in Bradford, his name was Jaymal Dickinson.
“He has coached body builders to stage in the past but it was the timescale in which I wanted to achieve this that was the real challenge, he actually thought I was joking. I had a meeting with him in October 2021 and asked if he could help me.
“He said he ‘absolutely no problem, when do you want to compete?’ I said July, he presumed that I meant July 2023 and i said no next year (2022). He was adamant that I would never do it but I said I will, you tell me what to do and I will do it.
“So from October through to July I had Jaymal as my coach and on July, 3, 2022, I competed in Pure Elite. I entered four categories and I placed fourth in three of those, which was quite good for a first timer. From then on my life has changed completely.
“I used to think you had to earn food now I know food is fuel, I used to think if I’d done extra exercise I’d earned a treat. I know now that it’s 80/20 diet and exercise, food is the most important part.
“When I was at my biggest I used to struggle with mobility, I had issues with my ankles, my knees, my back. I had two young children. I wanted to teach them how to ride a bike. I couldn’t because I couldn’t run behind them. I was very low, food became more of an issue as I was eating to make myself feel better and then I would feel guilty after wards, it was a downwards spiral.
“After my traumatic experience it gave me a wake-up call and I knew something had to change, the gym became my safe space. I started Muay Thai and that’s how I met Dave who I now co-own the gym with. Fast forward to now and I still struggle with body dysmorphia issues, I still see a fat girl when I look in the mirror. But it’s something I’m working on.
“Fitness is very much a part of my life now and my children’s, my daughter has become a PT because of it, my son is about to run a marathon, my youngest two take martial arts classes at the gym. If I hadn’t taken a leap of faith none of this would have happened.
“I’m a positive role model to them now and they know how important keeping healthy is. I want to inspire other women, especially other mums, to turn their life around.
“I want to teach people the skills they need, that’s where my passion lies. Never be scared to take that first step, don’t let the fear you will be judged stop you.
“Women come to my gym and tell me you make is feel like we are supposed to be here, I feel like I fit here where I haven’t before, I want people to feel like our gym is somewhere people can come and feel happy.”
To get in touch with Eva to get your journey started get in touch with her at Sweatbox Studio Fitness, at https://www.facebook.com/ monsterfitnessacademy.
MUM-OF-FOUR TOOK ON THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME BY VOWING TO DROP ENOUGH