When people see I\u2019ve lost weight the first thing they usually ask is if I\u2019ve had help. \u201cYeah, I have a trainer,\u201d I say. But that\u2019s not the kind of help they mean.<\/p>\n
Some of them do ask the follow-up: \u201cBut have you been on any injections?\u201d To which my response is: \u201cNo, I\u2019m doing it the old-fashioned way.\u201d <\/p>\n
Because I am, having lost about 15kg (2st 5lb) in the past year or so, without using GLP-1s and without putting my life on hold either.<\/p>\n
It started in April 2025. I was roughly 102kg in weight and, at only 5ft 2in tall, I wasn\u2019t happy in myself. Because I wasn\u2019t happy in myself, I stopped taking care of myself. I was getting too many takeaways, not moving my body \u2013 as in, I\u2019d be lucky to take 1,500 steps in a day \u2013 and when I did cook, it was very much beige, freezer dinners. <\/p>\n
Then, I saw an online advertisement for an eight-week group fitness \u201caccelerator\u201d, run by a personal trainer for \u20ac99. So I signed up. It was a bit of a Hail Mary and I didn\u2019t think it\u2019d work but it has been life changing. <\/p>\n
I lost a couple of kilogrammes during those eight weeks, which also included eight days in Spain for a wedding, a few nights out and other general 26-year-old woman\u2019s antics. Afterwards, I signed up for one-to-one training with the trainer, Jonathon Hickey, who has been my coach since. It doesn\u2019t feel right calling him a personal trainer because I treat him as more of a life coach. My whole outlook on life, who I am and what I can achieve, has changed substantially throughout the year. <\/p>\n
In the beginning I struggled. I was cooking food that I felt was fitting into my \u201cdiet\u201d, but I wasn\u2019t really a fan of what I was eating. As time has gone on, though, I\u2019ve learned to perfect a \u201cfakeaway\u201d and to just reportion my food so that I\u2019m eating mostly protein and vegetables, with less carbs.<\/p>\n
Everything (most days) goes on the tracking app MyFitnessPal, to ensure I stay in a calorie deficit. I still socialise. I\u2019ve discovered that West Coast Cooler is the drink for me \u2013 at 88 calories in a can of Sunburst \u2013 instead of a pint of cider or Guinness. I now also drink vodka soda water, no lime, just a dash of blackcurrant. <\/p>\n
And I\u2019ll allow myself the odd glass of wine \u2013 just not as often. <\/p>\n
I also started working out at home, doing routines given to us as part of the programme, using the 1.5kg dumbbells I\u2019ve had ever since a teenage health kick years ago. And, yes, I found them hard. I also started going for walks, taking the dog with me. We\u2019d do laps around the green by my house, slowly building my steps up to 3,000-4,000 until we got to an average of about 8,000 \u2013 with a goal of at least two days a week at 10,000 steps. My current average, with a back injury, is at 6,000-8,000 steps \u2013 and that\u2019s okay. Nobody\u2019s perfect. <\/p>\n
That was something I had to come to terms with. Some days after finishing work at my (very sedentary) job, I wouldn\u2019t want to go for a walk, work out or cook. That\u2019s where a support system is key. I have great housemates and friends who motivate and walk with me, who weigh out dinner ingredients if we\u2019re cooking together and, maybe most importantly, a dog who gets annoyed if she doesn\u2019t get a walk. I also have the added advantage of being able to text my coach whenever \u2013 be it with a life update, a photo of the dog, an \u201cI really don\u2019t want to leave the house today\u201d, or an \u201cI\u2019m going to Bingo Loco on Saturday\u201d. <\/p>\n
There is also no point putting life on hold. <\/p>\n