Danielle's story
Danielle started putting on weight straight
after she finished high school and entered the work force.
Danielle
Reynolds-Collins, age 22, height 157cm, before 110.5kg, after 84.5kg, lost
26kg, Time at current weight: still working towards goad weight
"Once I was no longer continuing much
of my loved school sport I found the kilograms slowly increasing," she
says. Concerned, Danielle visited her doctor who discovered she was suffering
from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and, as a side effect, Insulin
Resistance.
After being told that losing weight is
harder for those with the condition, Danielle had stumbled on her first excuse
for weight gain.
"There it was, straight out of my
doctor's mouth. I found myself repeating it over and over again, trying to use
that as an explanation for how I'd let the weight come back and not do anything
about it." An interstate move quickly followed and a new job with a soft
drink manufacturer. Not knowing anyone Danielle's mindset began to change.
"Nobody knows me, I can do whatever and eat whatever I like. I don't have
to train, nobody knows me at this new gym - I won't be missed," she
thought. And before long Danielle's weight had increased by another 20kgs.
From couch to 7kms
It was a colleague's before and after
pictures that inspired Danielle to get serious about weight-loss. "I knew
she had suffered PCOS and that was a real wake up call. If she could do it ...
. so could l!"
As a former personal trainer Danielle
developed a training program and diet to suit her metabolism and she now
follows the 80/20 rule. "With my diet, 80 percent is clean, unprocessed,
low GI, gluten and dairy-free meals and the other 20 percent doesn't quite
reach those standards but is still very healthy and a long way from what I used
to eat," she explains.
Danielle began her weight-loss journey by
taking part in Les Mills classes at her local gym. She felt safe in these
classes as people were too busy looking at the instructor to take any notice of
her. As her confidence improved and the kilos began to disappear Danielle
changed her routine. "I'm now working with a personal trainer (PT) and I
do two heavy weight sessions a week (my PT says to lose weight, you have to lift
weight!), two days of cardio (7km run or a Sh'Bam class) and a mixed group
interval PT session."
a
Sh'Bam class
Best of all, Danielle has found that
through exercise and a clean-diet she has been able to keep her PCOS in
control, without medication. "I tried all the medications and different
dosages etc and none of them helped," she says. Now her menstrual cycle is
back to normal and she wants other women to know what they can achieve by
making these lifestyle changes.
Making a commitment
Danielle doesn't believe losing weight is
about motivation. "I'm never motivated to go to work, but I go anyway,
because I want to get paid," she explains. "I want a better body, I
want to be healthier, therefore I need to go to the gym and I need to make
better food choices."
Danielle believes that while her healthy
lifestyle may not result in a pay cheque at the end of the week the positive
results are worth the effort.
"Some might call these things
motivation, I prefer to think of them as consequences of my actions," she
says. "Losing weight is about making a decision that you want better for
yourself and doing everything you can to get it."
To reflect on how far she has come and to
inspire others she has created a Facebook page about her weight-loss journey
(facebook.com/ weightgainer2PT). "I have over 400 followers that keep me
110 percent accountable to my goals."
Stick-with-it tips
Brain power
"The biggest muscle you can use is
your brain. If your mind doesn't believe you can, then you won't."
Mix it up
"Constantly shock your body with new
routines, new workouts. Keep the exercise fun and enjoyable and it will no
longer be a chore"
Kitchen know-how
"Learn to use herbs and spices. Clean
food doesn't mean bland food. Learn to use them and you'll never look for processed
sauce jars again!'
