A woman has revealed how she shed an incredible five stone in just eleven months – after swapping her beloved takeaways for for healthier ‘fakeaway’ versions she makes at home.
Sadie Sjogren, 26, a recent graduate and leisure care assistant from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, was unhappy with the way she looked in photographs when weighing 16.7 stone and a 18 to 20 dress size.
Using this as motivation to start her weight loss journey, Sadie joined a gym, now training four times a week for an hour each time, ditched her four-a-week unhealthy takeaways for healthier versions and cut out snacks.
This resulted in a remarkable five stone weight loss in less than a year as she went down to a size 12 – now weighing just 11.8 stone.
And she’s not finished yet, with the fitness fanatic, who began her healthier lifestyle in January 2021, wanting to lose an additional stone, whilst also building muscle, next year.
Sadie Sjogren (pictured right, recently), 26, a recent graduate and leisure care assistant from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, was unhappy with the way she looked in photographs when weighing 16.7 stone and a 18 to 20 dress size (pictured left)
Using this as motivation to start her weight loss journey, Sadie (pictured) joined a gym, now training four times a week for an hour each time, ditched her four-a-week unhealthy takeaways for healthier versions and cut out snacks
Speaking exclusively to Femail, Sadie recalled: ‘Before losing the weight, I was so unhappy – I had zero confidence and felt trapped in my own body.
‘The final straw was not liking how I looked in photos; I used this as motivation to start my weight loss journey.’
As a result, Sadie began making lifestyle changes, which included being conscious about what she ate and exercising more.
She explained: ‘Before my weight-loss journey, I never had a set time to eat and would mainly have takeaways, which I now only have once or twice a month as a treat with friends or family.
This resulted in a remarkable five stone weight loss in less than a year as she went down to a size 12 (pictured right) – now weighing just 11.8 stone
And she’s not finished yet, with the fitness fanatic (pictured before and after her weight loss journey), who began her healthier lifestyle in January 2021, wanting to lose an additional stone, whilst also building muscle, next year
‘However, finding healthy alternatives like The Skinny Food Co has given me the freedom to incorporate my favourite “treat” foods into my diet, guilt-free.’
The Skinny Food Co provides products that are low in sugar and calories, enabling people to make sustainable diet changes without compromising on taste.
Sadie explains how she included the products into her new diet: ‘So many of my favourite food combinations use products from The Skinny Food Co.
‘My all-time favourite breakfast is definitely baked oats, where I add the Skinny Jam or Chocolate Spreads to give it a sweet kick in the morning.
‘For lunch, I love the Fakeaway Beef & Chilli Wedges, and using tortilla wraps for pizza bases and adding the Fakeaway Pizza Sauce.’
Speaking exclusively to Femail, Sadie (pictured left, before her weight loss, and right, after) recalled: ‘Before losing the weight, I was so unhappy – I had zero confidence and felt trapped in my own body’
As a result, Sadie (pictured) began making lifestyle changes, which included being conscious about what she ate and exercising more
Sadie (pictured before her weight loss, left, and right, after) explained: ‘Before my weight-loss journey, I never had a set time to eat and would mainly have takeaways, which I now only have once or twice a month as a treat with friends or family’
Sadie has also added regular exercise to her routine and plays netball for both her local league team (Weston Academy) and a Bristol premier league team (Cosmos).
She said this has not only improved her confidence but also provided her with an important sense of community.
‘Before I started my journey, I didn’t have the confidence to go to the gym, but now I have a clear exercise routine and get a good workout in before starting work, which helps get me mentally ready for the day,’ she said.
‘I also play netball and wanted to push myself to become a better player and play for a higher team (which I have now achieved).’
She continued: ‘Initially, I kept to my workout plan, but a few months in I started to drift off. As a result, I searched for an online coach – mainly to keep myself accountable and to push me further.
‘I still train with my coach now – she has been the most amazing help and guidance. I could not recommend an online coach more, specifically Claire Louise Herd – @join_theherd on Instagram.”
‘Now, I train in the gym at least four times a week, for around an hour each time. In the gym, I do a mixture of cardio and weights, for example squats and deadlifts – I love training with weights!’
This transformation has not only improved Sadie’s physical health but she said it has completely shifted her mindset and benefited her mental well-being.
‘I’ve definitely bettered myself as a person and I’m a lot happier since losing the weight and working on myself,’ she insisted.
‘I’m still learning to put myself first but finding alternative products that have allowed me to keep treats in my diet made it easier and gave me that extra push.’
Sharing her advice for those looking to start their health journey, Sadie said: ‘My advice to anyone thinking of changing their lifestyle to a healthier and more balanced one, which in turn will help you lose weight, would be to start now.’
She added: ‘Don’t set a date or feel like you have to wait until the new year. Just get going. Small changes will make a huge difference.
‘From there you can add changes slowly, like going to the gym in a manageable way so that it doesn’t shock your body.
‘You’ll also find like-minded people along the way which will keep you motivated.’
The Skinny Food Co range features over 250 great tasting, healthier alternative products.
From sauces and syrups, to high protein, low sugar snacks, cooking sprays, flavoured coffees, Fakeaway sauces, meals and more, visit www.theskinnyfoodco.com to find out more.
Follow Sadie’s weight loss journey at @sadiesfitnessjournal
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk