Woman who reached size 22 thanks to an £80-a-day binge eating habit loses 10 STONE
A woman who reached a size 22 thanks to her expensive binge eating habits costing £80-a-day has lost 10 stone after counting calories and ‘being kind to herself’.
Martyna Baker, 35, from Hackney, east London, loved eating out and enjoyed a range of expensive snacks.
But over a period of six years, she piled on the pounds and hit her highest weight of 18st 8lbs in 2016, and levelled out at 17st 12lbs.
‘I could spend £80 a day on food, because I have had a boujie palate so it’s like “This isn’t just any binge, this is a Marks and Spencer’s binge”,’ Martyna said.
Before and after: Martyna Baker, 35, from Hackney, east London, loved eating out and enjoyed a range of expensive snacks
Martyna had tried all sorts of diets to lose weight before, but nothing proved to be sustainable long term. Pictured after losing weight and now at a size 10
‘It would be really expensive food, or I’d take myself for dinner at Wagamamas by myself, as I really like going for food myself which most people hate.
‘For example, if I’d gone to Pret in the morning, that’s like £8, then I might go for lunch for £20 pounds, and another £20, and I might buy snacks so it can really rack up.
‘It was just the usual suspects like doughnuts and crisps, pizza, and just junk food, although I’ve never been somebody who dislikes vegetables or fruit.’
Martyna had tried all sorts of diets to lose weight before, but nothing proved to be sustainable long term – partly due to her extreme methods.
Martyna, who has been mainly plant-based since 2011, explained: ‘Being a compulsive overeater or binge eater is a full-time job, it takes so much of your energy as you’re constantly thinking about food or trying to get food and spending all your money on it’ – pictured in February 2021 after her weight loss journey
She said: ‘Anyone who has known me since uni has seen me do some extreme things around food and eating. I tried to be a raw vegan and fruitarian for many years.
‘I went clubbing with mangoes in my bag and brought herbal tea bags to a rave.
‘One friend reminded me how he’d watched me eat a massive box of lychees. I used to buy 5kg crates of fruit at a time.
‘I have done Cornflake diets, Atkins, Weight Watchers, South Beach, Maple Syrup, Diet Pills, Whole 30, Raw till 4, and the list goes on.
‘Every time I was willing to do whatever it took. I’d bring blenders, juicers and huge boxes of food wherever I went because I was certain that this would be the thing that “cured” my issues with food.’
Pictured during her weight loss journey, Martyna went to the gym to do walking cardio and weight training four times a week
In January 2020, she decided she’d had enough and instead of unusual diets, she would simply try precise calorie counting.
Martyna dropped the weight with a calorie limit of 1,600 a day and going to the gym to do walking cardio and weight training around four times a week, while eating whatever she fancied within that limit.
At first, this included her fast-food favourites, like doughnuts and Dominos pizza takeaways, but she now enjoys a mainly-plant-based balanced diet.
The 35-year-old added: ‘It is really ironic that in the end, what really helped was so common sense, calorie control and being nice to myself.’
Martyna eventually dropped to 10st 10lbs over a period of 12 months and now wears a slim size 10.
Addressing her food issues has not only saved her money and improved her health but has also had knock-on effects on Martyna’s creativity and the way others treat her.
She said it was the usual suspects of doughnuts, crisps, pizza and junk food that she consumed daily – but she has never been someone who dislikes vegetables or fruit. Pictured before she lost 10 stone
Martyna, who has been mainly plant-based since 2011, explained: ‘Being a compulsive overeater or binge eater is a full-time job, it takes so much of your energy as you’re constantly thinking about food or trying to get food and spending all your money on it.
‘Now I’m not doing that, it gives me more time to just focus on my creativity and the other things that I want to do in life, not just sort of comforting myself or being trapped in that cycle.’
The singer still weighs portions and calorie counts as she finds it keeps her ‘accountable’, despite many people criticising her methods.
She said: ‘I do still weigh everything and count because for me that keeps me accountable and it’s not that much of a big deal.
‘People make out like it’s really obsessive, but it’s just like budgeting when you get your money every month – this is just the food budget.’
Pictured before and after she slimmed down to a size 10, Martyna says she has tried so many diets over the years in attempts to lose weight
On an average day, Martyna’s meals include porridge for breakfast, and lots of vegan protein and vegetables (pictured after losing weight)
The singer from Hackney, east London, says she has a lot of fruit in her diet to help curb her sweet tooth, but allows herself sugary things if she wants them
On an average day, Martyna’s meals include porridge for breakfast, and lots of vegan protein and vegetables.
Martyna said: ‘I generally have some sort of grain rice and beans.
‘I do have a lot of fruit just because I’ve found that that curbs my sweet tooth, but I don’t deny myself sugary things.
‘I’ll still have biscuits or crisps but I buy them in smaller versions because if it’s in my house, that’s the portion size.’
Martyna believes that ‘setting your environment up to support you’ is another key factor in her successful weight loss.
She added: ‘Rather than going to get loads of crap to bring back to my house, I’ll go and get one cupcake from Lola’s then it’s done.’
Martyna says that now she’s not putting all her focus into her short-term binges, she has more time to focus on my creativity and ‘the other things that I want to do in life’
She also credits walking for keeping her on track: ‘I went walking every single day for a minimum of 12,000 steps’ – pictured during her weight loss journey
Now Martyna, who has started sharing her experiences on her Youtube and Instagram accounts, Consistency Killed The Fat, wants to help others reach their ‘healthiest self’ – pictured after losing 10 stone through calorie counting
She also credits walking for keeping her on track: ‘I went walking every single day for a minimum of 12,000 steps.
‘I knew as long as I did my steps and ate my calories, I didn’t really worry too much if the scale didn’t go down as it was meant to straight away, as I thought “Well I’ve done my bit”.’
Now Martyna, who has started sharing her experiences on her Youtube and Instagram accounts, Consistency Killed The Fat, wants to help others reach their ‘healthiest self’.
She added: ‘I used to think there was gonna be some magic spell, formula or moment that would lead me to freedom around my weight and food but it wasn’t.
‘It was a simple, practical, replicable plan. I did not like how I felt around food or my body when I ate in an out-of-control way and my greatest hope is to help other people who feel the way I felt to feel better.’
Martyna said: ‘I used to think there was gonna be some magic spell, formula or moment that would lead me to freedom around my weight and food but it wasn’t’ – pictured during her weight loss journey
Pictured in 2018, Martyna reached a size 22 with her binge eating habits, and says she spent up to £80-a-day on eating out and expensive snacks
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk