A woman shed 75lbs and is now helping others do the same after being mortified at a ‘horrifying’ photo taken at a party. Personal trainer Emma Taylor, 45, tipped the scales at 14st 1lb after her weight ballooned from a diet of fast food and sugary snacks.
She would regularly eat two takeaways a day, including a McDonalds for lunch and a kebab for dinner. But she was jolted into shifting the pounds after seeing a photo of herself at a party taken by her sister-in-law.
The 5'1" mum-of-five was shocked by the photo and thought she looked like a 'little barrel'. And she used it as inspiration for her new fitness regime that saw her drop five dress sizes from a tight-fitting size 16, to a loose size 6.
She used to live by the motto 'the bigger the plate, bigger the portion', but has cut out the takeaways and joined a gym - and is now a trim 8st 10lb. Now Emma will start the day with a healthy breakfast of oats, berries and yoghurt with honey, followed by a light lunch of a chicken and avocado salad and a tea of tuna with a side of veg.
She's lost 15 inches from around her hips, 19 inches from her waist and her bra size has dramatically dropped from a 36DD to a 32A. Emma said: “I was instantly horrified and mortified, and knew I had to take control.
“I was upset and I knew I had put on weight, but this was like a lightbulb moment for me. I was also having health issues because of my weight, I was suffering with my breathing and couldn’t sleep at night.
“I had tried to lose weight before and tried various diets, I spent so much money on fad diets and I was always on the web looking for a quick fix. I had tried yoga and pilates before, but I would have rather gone home and had a kebab.”
Emma enlisted the help of personal trainer Danni Taylor and boxing coach Mathew Bird to help her lose weight, exercising 18 times a week, which she said 'is the best thing I’ve ever done’. She added: "They pushed me so hard but helped me to believe in myself.
"My body quickly started shrinking - even my feet. I didn't set a goal and I think that helped, I just said once I'm happy, I'll know what my goal weight is.
"It's bizarre when I see pictures of myself now."
In her previous job as a nail technician, the grandmother-of-two would often order a McDonalds or portion of fish, chips and curry sauce from the local chippy. But after losing the weight and falling in love with exercise, she was inspired to quit her job and qualify as a personal trainer, setting up her own business Taylor-Made Fitness.
She said: “I tell everyone just to enjoy the journey and treat every day as it comes. Instead of spending 45 minutes sat on your phone, you could come and spend that with me and do some exercise.
“Just be consistent and it will make you feel amazing. I'm a bog standard mum and nan, so if I can do it - they can."
“Us women are so hard on ourselves and often don’t see the difference, so I always encourage them to take before and after pictures.”
Emma has said that exercise has 'changed her life completely'. She said: "I'm a changed person, my confidence has gone up so much.
"My whole family have changed their lifestyles with me as well, so it's not just a family affair - they've all been keeping fit with me."
