Single Mum Jackie Thomas has lost over an amazing 21kgs with Lose Baby Weight and becomes a Motivating Mum for February and shares how she overcame depression.
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Hi I’m Jackie and I’m thrilled to be chosen as a Motivating Mum for February! I’m a 33 year old single Mumma to a beautiful 2 year old boy.  I work part time and study part time.  I began my journey with Lose Baby Weight in July 2014 weighing 80kg and am now super proud to say I am down to 58.7kg, going from a size 18 to a size 10 in 7 months with the fantastic Lose Baby Weight programs.
I’ve always been a big girl, for as long as I can remember I’ve carried extra weight.  This body weight weighed me down more than just physically, the mental and emotional battles I’ve had resulted in pretty poor self esteem.  In 2010 (weighing 88kg) after a relationship breakdown I decided it was time to get happy and I ate extremely well (though not enough) and exercised ALL the time!
I managed to get to 59kg and was finally feeling good about myself.  I fell pregnant in 2012 and saw this as an excuse to eat what I wanted…and I wanted chocolate, chips, kfc, chocolate, lollies, ice cream, chocolate etc etc.  Needless to say I gained ALOT of weight.  It got to the stage that I was actually too scared to get on the scales, preferring to bury my head in the sand.
I kept telling myself that I’d get back to health and fitness once I had my son.  Well I had him and 12 months later I was bigger than I’d been in a long time.  I was extremely unhappy within myself and becoming depressed.  I made some attempts to lose weight with minimal success.  Then six months later after losing about 5kg I stumbled across Lose Baby Weight while scrolling through facebook.  And something clicked.
I read through the information on the website and had a look through some of the recipes.  I loved that the programs were not a quick fix, but rather based on wholesome nutrition and active living.  I joined the Facebook Support Group and reading through the stories of the amazing women on the page was all the convincing I needed.
I ordered the 28 Day Diet and Exercise Plan, some Healthy Mummy Smoothie mix and the Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD.  I made a wholehearted commitment to myself that I was going to become fit, healthy and happy again, for me mainly but also for my son.  He deserves a happy Mum!
I began by mostly following the 28 Day Diet and Exercise Plan and walking every second day.  I would swap around some of the meals and snack in the plan to suit my tastes and found the Calorie Bible helpful in making these changes.
Knowledge is power and that little pink book is full of it! I would do the Exercise DVD on days when I couldn’t get out for a walk, doing a couple of sections at a time.  Then I started having a Healthy Mummy Smoothie for lunch and oh my gosh do I LOVE them.  I found that the smoothies actually kept me full and gave me a whole bunch of energy!
Then something amazing started happening.  My clothes were getting loose and people were commenting on how great I was looking! This was a HUGE motivation for me.  I kept at it, more determined than ever to fit into the wardrobe full of clothes I had in storage! Feeling fitter and healthier I was ready to join a gym with a crèche and kept up my walking and dvd workouts also.
I had 2 smoothies a day for a while too.  Then just at the perfect time for me, the September 28 Day Challenge was launched.  I subscribed and was blown away by all the delicious food!  The variety is amazing and the fact that you can eat 6 times a day meant I was never hungry or feeling deprived.  The challenge exercises were a great option for an at home workout, and being HIIT mean they don’t take too long to get a good sweat up!
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These days my life looks a whole bunch different to what it did 7 months ago.  I am fit and healthy and most importantly…happy!  My confidence has soared which is reflected in other areas of my life; I began studying a degree for a career I am passionate about.
I eat wholesome, nourishing, clean foods that give me amazing energy levels.  I have run a 6k fun run and looking to do more.  I go to group fitness classes at the gym, do the Healthy Mummy DVD, challenge exercises and other exercise challenges that pop up on the facebook group (hello washing squats!).  I am extremely close to my goal weight and in the process of pondering what my next goals will be.  I aim to tone my body more and focus on fitness and strength rather than numbers.
To be honest the scales have never been a huge part of my journey, I’ve known from experience that they can be really demotivating.  I prefer (and strongly suggest you do some too!) taking progress photos, the differences you can see in photos really does amaze me even when the scales are not necessarily doing what you hoped!
I think by far the hardest part of my journey was starting.  It can seem so daunting in the beginning but making little changes and efforts every day is what will make the big changes happen.  I take it one day at a time; if I have an off day then I brush it off and start fresh tomorrow.
I’ve realised that I can’t control everything that goes on around me but I can control what I put in my mouth (and my son’s also), how active I am and how I feel about myself and my life.  I’ve learned to love myself again and I promise you can too.  You’re worth it as much as me!!
Jackie Thomas
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