A mum has revealed the one change that she made to shed six stone in just seven months. Aine O’Conor, 30, puts her success down to setting aside time every day to walk 10k steps, reports Manchester Evening News.
The Greater Manchester mother says she always felt judged for her appearance and believed her size held her back. Aine's weight reached over 16 stone, which she blames down to snacking and struggling to find time to keep fit.
However, when the 30-year-old was on maternity leave she realised that major changes were needed to her lifestyle. She had not long given birth to her first child, Grace, when she made the call to lose weight.
Last year, Aine decided to properly utilise her nine months off work to focus on her weight loss. In just seven months, she lost an incredible six stone, going from a dress size 20 to a 10.
The mother says walking was key to her weight loss and she began slowly incorporating it into her daily routine. Aine said: “I knew my weight was holding me back and stopping me from being the confident version of me.
“Working as a beauty therapist and managing two salons, I was feeling that others may make assumptions of me, my size and judging my ability on my weight. This is something that made me judge my confidence even more. I am aware how important image is in the job that I love to do, however, this wasn’t my sole reason for wanting to lose weight.
"I realised how little energy I had and really wanted to feel like the fabulous me again.” Aine had previously tried Slimming World and claims she felt awkward about returning.
However, the mum-of-one says she felt “instantly at ease” on her return and was talked through setting her goals in order to achieve her target weight. Aine added: "I think it didn’t work because I wasn’t in the right headspace and was doing it for the wrong reasons.
“I was purely doing it for my appearance. Which although there was nothing wrong with that, when I didn’t achieve fast results I just switched to a fad diet.
“This time, it was more for health as well as appearance but I wanted to be able to enjoy life a bit more and move more freely especially after welcoming Grace knowing I’d soon have a toddler to keep up with."
Aine revealed that she is still able to eat out once a week and enjoys a few glasses of wine at the weekend. She says she feels as though she never has to deprive herself as she sticks to her steps and following fitness videos.
The mother says this discipline means she is still able to eat her favourite foods including curry and pasta. Aine added: “I am well on my way to reaching my personal chosen target weight loss of six stone."
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