{"id":362872,"date":"2026-01-10T14:20:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/362872\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T14:20:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:20:17","slug":"i-couldnt-tie-my-shoelaces-without-getting-out-of-breath-then-one-night-changed-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/362872\/","title":{"rendered":"I couldn’t tie my shoelaces without getting out of breath \u2013 then one night changed everything"},"content":{"rendered":"

Louise Gough went from being out of breath on the dancefloor to chasing her little girl around the park with ease\"A<\/p>\n

One night out in Cardiff changed everything for Louise Gough(Image: Louise Gough)<\/p>\n

It was supposed to be a fun night out in the Welsh capital celebrating her mother-in-law’s 60th birthday. But for 29-year-old Louise Gough the evening turned into a moment of shocking clarity \u2013 a turning point that would completely change her life.<\/p>\n

Louise, a business owner from Caerphilly<\/a>, was tipping the scales at 15st 8lbs. By that nigh, she was struggling in ways that could no longer be ignored.<\/p>\n

She couldn’t bend down to tie her own shoelaces without losing her breath, leaving a friend to do it for her. She bought size 18 stretchy jeans for the occasion but they were painfully tight, forcing her to confront that she was actually closer to a size 20-22. And dancing? After just an hour she was sweating heavily and completely out of breath.<\/p>\n

“I was in absolute denial about how big and unhealthy I was,” Louise recalled. “But I felt so ashamed of myself that night.”<\/p>\n

The experience was a wake-up call. On the cusp of turning 30 and having lost her father David at just 52 Louise knew that change had to come \u2013 and fast.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Louise lost her father David very suddenly when he was just 52(Image: Louise Gough)<\/p>\n

Her father, whom she describes as “the fittest man I had ever met,” had played rugby and walked their dog for hours every day yet died of a heart attack caused by clogged arteries and a poor diet.<\/p>\n

Losing him left Louise depressed and she had spiralled, losing all interest in taking care of herself.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Louise knew that she had to make a change (Image: Louise Gough)<\/p>\n

“That night in Cardiff<\/a>, I realised I couldn’t keep going the way I had been,” she said.<\/p>\n

“On my 29th birthday I understood that if I passed away at the same age as my dad I’d only have 23 short years [left].<\/p>\n

“I was petrified of something similar happening to me.” Stay informed on the latest health news by signing up to our newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The mum-of-one started attending the gym regularly(Image: Louise Gough)<\/p>\n

The very next morning Louise vowed to make a change. She focused on her nutrition first, calculating calories and macronutrients to maintain a deficit while getting enough protein.<\/p>\n

She ate 1,800 calories a day and aimed for 8,000-10,000 steps daily.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Since her change in lifestyle, she is now a size eight(Image: Louise Gough)<\/p>\n

Within three months she had shed two and a half stone. Energised by her early success she joined a gym, started training daily, and took up running.<\/p>\n

She hasn’t had alcohol or eaten a takeaway since that night in October 2024.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Louise admitted that she struggled to tie her shoelace and dance for a long period of time(Image: Louise Gough)<\/p>\n

A year later the results were dramatic.<\/p>\n

Louise has officially dropped six stone, now weighing 9st 6lbs and fitting into a size eight.<\/p>\n

Her energy levels are higher than they’ve ever been \u2013 even compared to her teens.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A year on and the difference is outstanding(Image: Louise Gough)<\/p>\n

She can run around with her five-year-old daughter, tackle slides at the park, and enjoy soft play without exhaustion.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Louise has never felt better since committing to a healthy diet(Image: Louise Gough)<\/p>\n

“Life has changed drastically for me since losing weight,” she said. “I’ve gone from bingeing on the sofa to training for half marathons.<\/p>\n

“Shopping is enjoyable because I feel confident in most clothes. I absolutely love the way I look now.<\/p>\n

“My skin has never been better, my hair is thicker and shinier, and I don’t crave rubbish food at all anymore \u2013 my body really craves nutrition.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Louise’s change in diet has also had an impact on her skin and hair(Image: Louise Gough)<\/p>\n

Louise follows the 80\/20 rule with 80% of her diet coming from nutritious whole foods and 20% from occasional treats like dark chocolate or a Freddo. Her diet before her transformation had been a stark contrast to her current regime.<\/p>\n

Before:<\/p>\n

Breakfast\/Lunch: Large Costa caramel coffee and a sausage sandwichDinner: Chinese\/Indian\/Domino’s takeawaysSnacks: Muffins, packets of crisps<\/p>\n

Now:<\/p>\n

Breakfast: Greek yoghurt and fruitLunch: ChickenDinner: Steak\/chicken with vegetablesSnacks: Dark chocolate or a Freddo\"A<\/p>\n

Louise sticks to a routine diet(Image: Louise Gough)<\/p>\n

“I’m so proud of myself for turning my life around,” Louise added. “I feel healthy and energised every single day.<\/p>\n

“I’ve hopefully reversed some of the damage I’d done before and, most importantly, I get to spend extra time with my daughter.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Louise Gough went from being out of breath on the dancefloor to chasing her little girl around the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":362873,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[5553,2188,59,102,2207,86,56,54,55,4405],"class_list":["post-362872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-caerphilly","tag-cardiff","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-people","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-weight-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362872"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362872\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/362873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}