All we need is a trigger for change!
Same gal, same bikini, new mindset and attitude towards food and exercise.
These photos are exactly 2 years apart:
Sept 2019 – Sept 2021
10 st 5 lbs – 9 st 0 lbs
This is actually really hard for me to admit and very few people know any of this so I feel super exposed right now.
The gal on the left
The version of myself in photo 1 was CONSTANTLY thinking about food and when my next meal was coming. Don’t get me wrong I still love planning my meals, but now more so from a calorie balancing game.
I was only taking photos on holiday if I had an empty stomach to feel as thin as possible! Then I would restrict food (always at the start of a holiday as I was afraid to bloat in a bikini).
This restriction then lead to a binge where I would find absolutely anything to eat in the cupboards or B-line to the nearest all-you-can-eat restaurant on holiday and eat until I literally felt sick “to get my monies worth”. I pretended I was super proud of my ability to be able to eat so much. I do still enjoy testing the limits of my body but now in controlled circumstances.
This colossal amount of food lead to humiliation, guilt, and hatred towards myself.
I woke up the next morning still so bloated and it would remind me of the binge I’d had the day before and all of those awful emotions would come rushing back. Honestly, the WORST feelings you can have about yourself!
The tipping point
Lockdown 1 (March 2020) changed EVERYTHING!
Gym and exercise classes had been taken away from me so I could no longer try and sweat out the calories from the binges. I needed an alternative, I needed to regain control and this was the perfect opportunity.
What’s more controlled than lockdown?!
Everything in moderation
I started counting my calories, absolutely everything, down to the mls of milk on my favourite cereal – Crunchy Nut Clusters. I did not realize how calorific these were until this moment, but I continued eating them!
I started walking more, moving my body more regularly, started running, enjoying food again! I didn’t cut anything out of my diet, I just ate EVERYTHING IN MODERATION and tracked it all.
The pudding police
My sister was counting calories with me, and in our house, we became known as “the pudding police”. Because we (mainly Liv) would make the BEST sweet treats like brownies, tiffins & cheesecakes but make the portions no bigger than the calories we had left for that day. It was for their own good.
The gal on the right
3 months later, I was a stone lighter, hitting 10k steps every day, enjoying the exercise. More toned, happier than ever, and healthier than ever!
I do wonder if I would still be the gal in photo 1 if it wasn’t for lockdown. Would I have found my love for understanding food and exercise like I do now? Would I have paid for the Level 4 Personal Training course? Would I still be a stone heavier, constantly thinking about food?
All we need is a trigger!
A small change in life for that something to click and I hope for those reading this and feeling like the gal in the first photo that this is your trigger, your tipping point! It’s now my mission to help other people build a better relationship with food and exercise just like I did!
If you related to anything I said, please let me help you and reach out to me on this platform here or on my Instagram @theexerciseengineer.
Start the first day of the rest of your life today – what are you waiting for?
The Exercise Engineer
