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Weight Loss Transformations | Diet & Exercise Inspiration

Weight Loss Transformations | Diet & Exercise Inspiration
Betsy green
Fitness Writer & Personal Trainer6 years ago
View Betsy green's profile

Transforming your body is a notion that many people dream about, but losing a significant amount of weight can seem like a daunting task. Whether you're busy, or on a tight budget, there are many reasons why a transformation can seem too difficult. Our transformation testimonials are here to help prove that anyone can transform their body and get in to their best ever shape.

Overhauling your diet is overwhelming, but using simple swaps and changes to what you eat, and when you eat, can help to quickly establish healthy habits. You can still get great flavours and feel full, while giving your body essential fuel.

Combining these changes with an active lifestyle can help you shed body fat and sculpt your body. The best news is, by creating your healthy body through manageable changes, you’ll be establishing habits that will last, so you can stay on track and hit your fitness goals year after year.

 

Weight Loss Inspiration

Ready to feel inspired? Our transformation story from student Emily Moore is packed with great tips and actionable advice to set you on your own journey.

After beginning University, Emily found that the student lifestyle had caused her to gain weight. A combination of high-calorie foods and drinks lead to her gaining 4 stone, peaking at her top weight of 14 stone.

Her part-time student job was in a pub, and while the work kept her on her feet all day, her calorie intake from the food served in the pub (which staff could eat at a discount) far outran the calories she was burning there.

At home, she would skip breakfast and try to eat “healthy” processed foods with little thought to the genuine nutrition behind them. She also regularly drank café bought coffees filled with milk and sugar. Her social life impacted her diet, too – going out in the evenings she would drink cocktails, fizzy mixers and juices – all of which were very high in calories and sugar.

As her degree ended and she began full-time work, she was determined to shed the weight she had put on. She knew her diet had to be manageable and affordable. But soon, she found that this was easily achievable with a bit of research.

“It’s all about swapping the high sugar and fat foods for alternatives. I read up and started to get really savvy, so instead of going to the convenience store and spending £1 on a flapjack which I thought was healthy, I bought a box of 12 Protein Flapjacks from Myprotein. I didn’t realise that the store bought flapjacks were actually really high in sugar and calories.”

In addition, she lowered her intake of drinks while out socialising, and traded her cocktails and juices for gin and tonics or vodka and soda. During the day, she swapped her high-calorie coffees for protein shakes to reduce her liquid calories and to give her muscles a boost post?workout.

Emily also decided to weigh her foods as she started out on her new nutrition plan. This helped her to get a true perspective on portions and calories. She knew she liked to be able to eat more, and so went for a high volume, low-calorie approach.

“I find weighing things out is really helpful too and has helped me a lot in my journey, as you learn a lot about how calorific some foods can be – and I’d rather find a food that's similar calories but more voluminous! I love Lean Flapjacks right now, they're the perfect low-calorie vegan, high protein snack.”

She found the best way to create filling, nutritious and budget-friendly meals was to follow a mostly plant-based diet.

“I switched to an almost entirely vegetarian/vegan based meal plan, as veggies are low calorie and filling but more importantly they’re cheaper. Especially at uni that is a bonus! I tend to make burrito bowls full of veg, rice cakes or corn cakes with peanut butter is my go-to evening snack.

On weekends I love to swap fry-ups for protein pancakes and flavour them with the Sugar-Free Syrups which are delicious and convenient but far lower in fat and sugar. I aim for high-volume, low-calorie meals as I like to be able to eat more, so veggies are a great option and it’s better for the environment. There are so many options now that you can be entirely vegan but still build muscle by consuming plant-based proteins,” she explains.

Emily’s favourite swaps include trading a convenience store flapjack swapped for a Lean Flapjack, a bacon and egg fry up swapped for Myprotein pancakes and a full fat milky cappuccino with whipped cream swapped for a Impact Whey Protein vanilla shake. By incorporating simple swaps into your diet, it makes these healthy changes become habits that you do automatically rather than chores to endure each day.

 

Weight Loss Exercises

To get into an active lifestyle, Emily started with simple cardio and resistance exercises, using gym equipment. More recently, she has supercharged her workout by incorporating weights and heavy lifting. At first, she was put off by the common myth that lifting creates a bulky, manly physique. Now, she says she feels “more feminine than ever” with her new sculpted body.

She tells us: “My favourite exercises are deadlifts, squats and overhead presses, but I switch up my workouts to make sure my muscles don’t fatigue, so one day I’ll do bum and legs, then I’ll do chest, shoulders and arms.” Example of a legs and bum workout would be three rounds of this:

  •  x10 Box Squats
  •  x10 Close Stance Squats (put your feet quite far forward so it's a sitting motion, to really get that booty burn)
  •  x10 Sumo Squats

Our articles should be used for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to be taken as medical advice. If you're concerned, consult a health professional before taking dietary supplements or introducing any major changes to your diet.

Betsy green
Fitness Writer & Personal Trainer
View Betsy green's profile
Betsy is a professional fitness writer and qualified personal trainer. Having worked with top names in the business, she has a global clientele and has been published across all different types of media; from fitness apps to magazines. Her passion for fitness and training also led to her hobby in competitive bodybuilding where she enjoys pushing her body to the extreme.
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