Kelsey Byers’ story is a familiar one. She grew up being very active, never really worrying about her weight.
However, when she started university, the now mum-of-one was exercising less, eating badly, drinking alcohol and staying out late. The young woman from the US gained 22kg in a matter of two years.
“I could not believe I had put on fifty pounds [22kg],” the 33-year-old explains. “I had always eaten what I wanted and had no problems with my weight.”
Kelsey says that she took these pictures 20 seconds apart, stating, “No-one is perfect. And who really cares?”
Kelsey admitted to Yahoo! Health she was “so unhappy with the woman I saw in the mirror,” but it wasn’t until she overheard a man call her a “whale” that she reached her breaking point.
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“Instead of getting depressed, I decided to use it as motivation and make a change for me,” she says.
Kelsey took baby steps to get her healthy lifestyle back on track; first up, she cut back on going out for dinner and drinks to just one night a week, and started going to the gym three times a week.
“It took months of being disciplined before anyone noticed any results, and that was probably the hardest part for me,” she admits.
“It took me two years to gain 50 pounds, so I knew the weight would not come off overnight.”
The mum-of-one loves working out with her daughter.
After eventually upping her gym sessions to five times a week and adding weights to her in-gym workouts, Kelsey still wasn’t seeing the results she wanted, so she made an appointment with a nutritionist, which, she says, changed everything.
“That’s when I realised what a huge role nutrition plays in the grand scheme of things,” she says. “It affects how you feel, how you look, your energy – everything!”
“I still love all the same foods and drinks – cheeseburgers, margaritas, pizza, etc. – but finding healthy moderation is key.”
Kelsey certainly practices what she preaches, with the ‘fitspirational’ mum now eating 2,000 calories each day – 800 more than what she used to eat when she was her heaviest weight.
Along with her husband Kent, she now balances exercising with working and looking after the couple’s young daughter – something that she encourages other parents to think about.
“Whatever you do, don’t feel bad for going to the gym and not being with your kids all the time,” she says. “Kids are going to follow your example, not your advice.”
On her website, Kelsey gives readers some tips on how she has achieved her results:
“I give myself weekly goals to get in the gym and write down everything I eat in my planner.”
“I eat every three hours, five to seven meals a day. I’m not a calorie counter because it takes up too much time, but I do know that I eat between 1,800 – 2,000 calories per day.”
“We often cook in bulk to have meals on hand because it’s tough to cook all the time with a new baby.”
“Some days I catch a quick workout at home while our baby naps”
If you want to change your diet or fitness routine in any way, contact your GP and dietitian first.
