Featured in Slim, Fit and Healthy Magazine

 

Maddy Day, 30, from Stirling, Scotland lost nearly five stones and transformed her hatred of exercise into her passion.

 

WORDS: RACHEL TOMPKINS

 

Maddy worked long hours at a deskbound job in the construction industry, grabbed lunches on the go, and hated exercise. Over the years the weight crept on. During a holiday in Gran Canaria she felt so self-conscious that she hid her body under size 16 maxi dresses and her thighs chafed together so much that she was in agony. It was the turning point. Back at home Maddy made some drastic changes but quickly learnt that crash diets weren’t sustainable...

 

As a child I was always very active, a keen swimmer I enjoyed sport. When I started high school I was a normal size 10, but during puberty I developed an enormous chest. It made me feel incredibly self-conscious so I did anything to avoid doing PE.I faked notes from my parents most weeks and grew to loathe exercise in general. At 19 I moved out of home and in with my partner at the time, and two years later I started working in a deskbound job in the construction industry

 

Being sat down all day and working long hours, I got used to grabbing food on the go. At lunchtime I would buy a supermarket meal deal of a sandwich, crisps and fizzy drink, and pick up a takeaway curry, rice and naan on the way home. During the day I would drink two litres of Irn-Bru and I didn’t have time for exercise. It was no surprise that over time the weight crept on.I hid my body under baggy clothes and avoided having my photo taken at all costs.Then, in 2014, when I was 26, I went on holiday with my mum, Josie, to Gran Canaria.Too embarrassed to expose my body in public, I hid under long maxi dresses despite the heat.

 

One day we walked from our apartment to the local market and by the time we got back my thighs were chafing so much they were red raw and I was in absolute agony. I broke down in tears as I lay on the bed and Mum rubbed cream into the burning flesh. I realised that I couldn’t carry on like this. At my lowest ebb, I had to change my life.Mum was incredibly supportive but agreed that I was overweight.

 

For the rest of the holiday I stopped going for walks and made excuses to stay in the room. On one of the rare occasions I did go down to the pool with Mum we heard another lady with a Scottish accent and got talking.Mum told her how down I was about my weight and she told us about an extreme diet that she had done that worked quickly. By then I was so desperate I was willing to try anything. Back at home in Stirling in May 2014 I went online and contacted someone about the diet.When I weighed myself I was horrified to discover I was 14 stones – far too heavy for my 5 feet 5 inch frame.I began swapping my usual breakfast of a white roll with sausage, egg, potato scones and haggis for a sachet of their instant porridge with water.Instead of grabbing a supermarket meal deal at lunchtime I had a sachet of soup, and a I swapped my huge plate of pasta, sauce and cheese or takeaway dinner for a very low-calorie dinner in the evening.I went from eating what must have been over 4,000 calories a day to eating about 900. As a result, I felt tired and hungry. Constantly in calorie deficit, I didn’t have enough energy for exercise, but the weight dropped off rapidly. In just six months I’d lost four stones, going down to about ten stones.The lack of food meant that I was so hungry all the time that I felt angry and my brain function wasn’t great. After six months of feeling like that, I couldn’t take any more.Over the years I’d tried pretty much every diet under the sun, and with all of them I’d lose a bit and get bored or lose momentum and put it back on again.I was determined not to put the weight back on this time, so I knew I needed something long-term and sustainable rather than a quick fix .In December 2014 me and my partner of nine years split up and about the same time I stopped the weekly sessions with my diet coach and ditched the sachets of porridge and soup.Instead, I started introducing real, healthy food back into my diet. At first I just ate lots of salads, and was scared of eating carbs in case I put on weigh.

 

Still effectively starving myself I wasn’t feeling great.Then a friend encouraged me to join a gym.Even with my weight-loss I felt incredibly self-conscious and didn’t have much energy, but I started going along with a friend and would go on the bike, cross trainer and do a bit on the treadmill. In March 2015 I got together with a new man. He recommended I have a session with his personal trainer and when I did I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it.The trainer led me through some cardio based workouts, as well as weightlifting and punch bags. It gave me such a buzz that I couldn’t wait for my next session. At the same time I began learning more about the importance of a healthy balanced diet for energy and muscle growth and repair. I started experimenting with what I ate more. I learnt to make overnight oats with coconut milk and fruit for breakfast. It was tasty and meant I didn’t feel hungry all morning. I learnt more about the importance of protein too, and that I wasn’t eating enough. When a friend recommended Musclefood I had a look at their website. I saw that you could order selections of meat that were lean, not full of fat, water and salt like a lot of supermarket meat is, and were packed with the protein my body so badly needed.I ordered some meat, and some of their Low Carb Whole Wheat Lavash Breads too – they were basically an A4 sized piece of reduced carb, high protein bread that you could use as an alternative to traditional wraps or bread.I started having one of those for lunch, packed with tuna and mayonnaise and beans.Instead of grabbing a takeaway at night, my partner and I would use some of our Muscle Food meat to make a chilli from scratch.Soon people at work were so envious of my tasty lunches I was making portions for them too!

 

And the best part was I wasn’t feeling hungry at all, I felt satisfied, full of energy, and more alert than I had done in months. And I was enjoying exercise so much I was training four to five times a week.That same year I gave up my stressful office job and took some time out to focus on the gym, as well travelling and enjoying myself.I continued to lose weight, but unlike before it wasn’t dropping off too quickly, it was slow and steady until I got down to 9.5 stones.But what had become more important to me wasn’t the number on the scales, it was how fit and healthy I was feeling, and how toned my body was. It had become such a huge part of my life that in November 2017 I started training to become a personal trainer. It involved lots of theory work as well as practical assessments, but I enjoyed it no end. By February 2018 I had qualified and started taking on my first PT clients. Now I work five-six days a week as a personal trainer.Because I’ve been overweight, I think I’m much more understanding about what my clients are facing.I’m not sure exactly what I weigh now, because it’s irrelevant. What’s important to me is how fit and healthy I am.Incredibly, I’ve gone from hating exercise to absolutely loving it, and I’m healthier and happier than ever.When we went on holiday to Mallorca this year I didn’t hide my body under maxi dresses, I showed off my pert buttocks and toned thighs in a thong bikini – and there was definitely no chafing!I’m sure some people made judgements, but they didn’t know what I’d been through to be able to get to that point. Now I’m a size 8-10 and I work out four to five times a week, and eat more food than I’ve ever eaten.I’ve developed a passion for cooking as well as exercise, and love thinking up healthy alternatives – such as the chocolate cake I invented the other day which was made with mashed banana, cocoa, blended oats and zero calorie syrup. And if I really fancy a piece of chocolate or a glass of wine I have it. Because I’ve leant that it’s all about balance to sustain a healthy lifestyle

 

Maddy’s top weight loss tips

 

● Be patient – fad diets might give quick results but they aren’t sustainable. If you want long-term results it will be slow, steady progress.

● Look for substitutes. Find healthy alternatives of your favourite meals so you don’t feel like you’re missing out on anything

.● Don’t restrict yourself – if you really want a piece of chocolate have it, but don’t go crazy and have a huge bar.● Make sure you’re eating enough protein. This macronutrient helps make you feel full and is crucial for helping to build more muscle which in turn makes your metabolism work faster and your body burn more fat.

● Order healthy protein in bulk on Musclefood, so that it’s delivered to your door and you can batch cook some healthy meals from scratch