18 months ago, I experienced the happiest day of my life when I married my wonderful husband. However, something wasn’t right; leading up to it, I had been falling out with
people, arguing and putting on weight; so much so that I had to buy almost an entirely new wardrobe. Everyone put it down to stress, and just assumed I would be back to normal after the wedding. After we got back from our honeymoon, things got worse; none more so than when my aunt and uncle were kidnapped, leading to mass media attention at my door (if you want to know more, google me!!)
This was supposed to be the best time of my life, yet I got to a point where I had a near breakdown in the supermarket as I was unable to decide what to cook for dinner. Things needed to change, especially after a visit to the doctor who diagnosed I had depression; rather than being given pills, my doctor suggested why not try cutting out bad food, getting to the gym and doing exercises to help my mental health. By this stage, I weighed 173lbs (I’m only 58 inches tall!) and was a UK size 18 (US 14)
I hate the gym, but I love playing hockey, so I decided to focus on doing things that would help me play better. I brought myself a step bench and a few videos – step is pretty unusual in the UK so easier said than done – and got going. I found it really hard at first; I would be exhausted after 25 minutes, but with great instructors – especially Cathe’s enthusiasm – I managed to keep going!
So, 18 months later, I’m now down to 126lbs – and am regularly fitting a UK size 10 (US size 6). I’m 2 weeks away from
finishing my first effort at STS and have inspired my husband to the extent where he’s also lost 28lbs and is currently converting our garage into a gym! The transformation on my hockey has been dramatic; from having been on the verges of my club’s 2nd / 3rd team squad, I now start every week in our 1st team, who have just been made divisional champions this weekend. I’ve heard tackling me is like trying to tackle a brick wall – must be all those push ups from Meso 1!
Even better, I’m happy again, and making everyone around me happy again! I’ve attached two photos – me on my wedding day, and me playing hockey last weekend. In the modern world it’s often so easy to take some pills to make yourself better; I’m so glad that a different approach – the words of a doctor, the inspiration of a few step DVD’s and the desire to change can make such a difference.