For the last four months, our regular girl Simone has been keeping us up to date with the story of her return to the gym. Yes, after an absence of five years, she returned to the weights and cardio and met some inspirational people along the way. And now that the four months are over, she is ready to share her results with us.
Sixteen weeks ago, I first said hello to you all and shared my story with you. Just to recap quickly, through a series of incidents, involving illness, stress and just life in general, I had put on a significant amount of weight: 4 stone 9lbs to be precise (65lbs). I no longer felt like myself and while I kept on trying to address the situation, I never lost more than 4 or 5 pounds before the weight would go back on again.
I have never been a fan of the gym (hence the title!) so when I embarked upon this journey with you, I wasn’t sure if I would make it. I owe a debt of gratitude to Go Gym Greystones and in particular Grace Dooley for her support and Owen Mulrane for being a superstar personal trainer. Owen has taught me that working out can be, and should be enjoyable. He has taught me that you don’t need to slave away on a treadmill to see results but that by incorporating weights into you regime you can see results faster while becoming stronger. Strong not skinny became my mantra for this journey and I found a wealth of inspiration online to support that view point.
Owen never once gave up on me. Despite me having one or two setbacks, he would get me back into the gym and most importantly he taught me not to feel guilty about food. If you eat something that you didn’t plan to then just move on, draw a line under it and ditch the guilt. So thank you Owen, sincerely. Not only have you taught me a lot, but you’ve given me back something way more important, my confidence.
Before and AfterAnd so to the results. Over 16 weeks, working out approx. three times a week and following a mostly Paleo diet (with a few blips along the way) I lost 2 stone 4 lbs (32 pounds). I also lost 82cms (2.6ft) from around my body, with the biggest differences being from my waist (20cm). The other losses were chest (16cm), legs (14cm each), hips (10cm) and arms (4cm each). So in a nutshell I lost the equivalent of a toddler!
So what now? Well I celebrated my success at a four day family wedding and I think it’ll come as no surprise to anyone that I went a bit mad with my new found freedom. I ate and drank everything I wanted to (and even some stuff I didn’t want to). But it made me feel crap to be honest. I am typing this feeling bloated and annoyed with myself. BUT, I am also putting it into practice what I’ve learned: this is life. There will be times when you go a bit mad but the important thing is to rein it in and get back on track.
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Before and AfterI’m nowhere near done yet. I still have 2 stone and 4 lbs to lose (plus whatever damage I’ve done this week) to get back to where I started from a few years ago. But I am going to ease off a little on myself now in terms of diet restrictions. I’ll be meeting Owen this weekend to go through the calories and breakdown of those calories (fats/protein/carbs) that I can have from now on. Carbs and alcohol had been off the menu for quite a while so healthy whole grains will be reintroduced as well as the occasional tipple! I plan to lose at a slower rate now of 1-2lbs per week so that I can have a little more freedom. And my aim is to continue to exercise two to three times a week.
Before and AfterI don’t want to be a yo-yo dieter anymore. I just want to be healthy. And I’m on that road (albeit at a speed bump right now). I don’t want to join the statistics of those that lose weight and then put it back on. I’m really want this to be for keeps. And maybe in six months’ time (or however long it takes) I’ll check back in one last time just to show you that it can be done. Well at least I hope it can be done!
My final thank you goes to my loved ones for supporting and encouraging me every step of the way. And to you, dear Beauties, for being my cheerleaders, and for giving me inspiration when I needed it most. And to those of you on your own journeys, the very best of luck.
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In the words of Dory ‘Just keep swimming’.
Congratulations Simone! We are very proud of all that you've achieved. Has anyone else returned to the gym after a bit of an absence? What is your favourite way to keep fit?
