FAT BURNER’S DIARY

How one reader lost 8st in 14 months for the sake of her son

THEN

In September 2014, at the age of 26, I gave birth to my first son – he was delivered at 21 weeks and didn’t make it. Six months later, I found out I was pregnant again. It was a rollercoaster of emotions and I was so anxious about the outcome. My son, William, was born three months early in December 2015 and spent two months in intensive care. During that time, and my first pregnancy, the weight had piled on. Constantly at hospital, I lived on convenience food, and being a sleep-deprived new mum meant taking care of myself was never top priority. By William’s first birthday, I was 18st 4lbs and couldn’t jump on the bouncy castle with him without wheezing. I realised my weight was stopping me from being the best mum possible.

HOW

I signed up to Slimming World and my diet did a complete 180. I went from skipping breakfast, having lunchtime sandwiches and nightly takeaways to eating a healthy full English in the morning, a chicken salad for lunch and a home-cooked meal every evening. I lost 2st in three months. With newfound confidence, I decided to bite the bullet and start exercising. I bought a Fitbit and downloaded a couch to 5k app. The gradual approach meant that, even from my low level of fitness, it was manageable – within three months, I could run the full 5k. And the exercise on top of my new diet meant the weight just kept dropping off.

NOW

I run three times a week these days, and have gradually built up my distance over time. I also do one strength and conditioning session and a home HIIT workout twice a week to keep my body in good condition for running. Every session, I try to push myself a little bit more. In April, I ran the London Marathon, which felt like an amazing achievement. Prioritising working out is a huge challenge, but I feel so much better for it.