If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that this year in May, I began a weight loss journey.
I used to be a tiny size 8 when I lived in Ireland. I led an extremely busy lifestyle and did a heck of a lot of walking. I was also a regular at the Glenview gym.
When I moved to Australia, money was a bit tight and a gym membership was a luxury, to be honest, that I just couldn’t afford or justify.
The first two jobs I had in Australia were really active so it wasn’t really an issue until I starting working in an office job. I put on 5kgs, because I wasn’t moving around in the first 6 months. I was then involved in a car accident and put on a further 5kgs because I couldn’t really move properly for the 6 months following the accident.
I was in physio for almost a year, twice a week, just to feel like I didn’t want to hack my arm off with pain.
After seeing an orthopedic surgeon, I was informed that I would have a 5% permanent injury for the rest of my life. There isn’t much anyone can do as it’s all a soft tissue injury.
At the time, myself and Colm, flew to Perth to support a friend in the Rose of Tralee. For those that don’t know, that’s an Irish pageant which showcases talent and personality rather than bikinis. It was photos from this event which I saw later that made me think ‘Holy Hell’, how did I put on that much weight.
I had gone from a size 8 to a size 14. A size 14 is by no means big, but for me I had put on a lot of weight in a short space of time. I decided then, that I was going to invest in my health and get a personal trainer. I didn’t want to end up damaging myself further after my accident, by training on my own. A major plus to paying someone else to make you sweat is that you turn up simply because you are paying them.
My PT also doesn’t let me get away with excuses. When I’m working out – I’m working out!
To date, I haven’t lost any weight, in fact, I’ve put on weight – muscle which weighs more than fat so weight loss is probably a bit of a misleading title but I have lost quite a bit of body fat. I’ve been getting body scans done every 6 weeks to determine how much muscle I have gained and how much fat I have lost.
I’m a member of Genesis gym which I pay $82 per month which is pretty expensive, but I see this as an investment into my health rather than an expense. The $82 also includes all the classes the gym runs, of which I have only been to two but hope to get into more this summer.
I also took part in the Genesis ‘Your New Beginning’ Challenge which if I’m honest was a joke – see my review here.
My body shape has changed so much over the last 6 months. I have a waist again! In total, I have lost 17cm off my waist since I started training. I don’t have photos from when I started training in the very beginning but I do have photos which I will post below to show the changes in my body over the last 3 months.