‘These 3 habits helped me lose fat after I took my grief out on my body'
Sinead Hatter, 35, from Buckinghamshire, turned her life around after the death of her mother
On 18 October 2019, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She died the year after. I was 30 and it was truly the worst time of my life; it happened so quickly that I struggled to accept what had happened and soon turned to food for comfort. Within two years, I’d lost control of my eating habits.
The discomfort I felt over my unhealthy weight gain meant I would avoid posing for photos with friends and, at times, I felt myself becoming a recluse. I wasn’t especially health-conscious before my mum’s passing, but I was young, busy and would rack up decent daily step counts. Now, increasingly reclusive, my low self-esteem was compounded by the fear that being so overweight increased my risk of developing cancer, like my mum. I tried various diets – Atkins, keto – but they would never last very long. I felt so uncomfortable at gym classes that I’d only go inconsistently.
Two years after Mum’s death, I knew something had to change. The first step was the hardest: pinpointing what was preventing me from living healthily. I needed to accept the passing of my mother; I couldn’t change what had happened, but I could change the future. I resolved to focus on the positives in life and, with the support of family and friends, committed to getting fit and healthy in three months.
Quick-fix diets and sporadic workouts weren’t working, so I knew I needed a sustainable and realistic routine. I put together a plan for the first month: a healthy calorie deficit for my height and activity level, monitored via MyFitnessPal; walking 10,000 steps a day and drinking plenty of water. A simple strategy, but it worked – the
excess weight began to shift.
By February, I was attending gym classes, too – group exercise felt less daunting than going it alone, as I had no idea what to do. My first class was legs, bums and tums: the camaraderie I felt with my classmates was amazing and the teacher was so motivating. Crucially, I wasn’t hiding. For the first time, I felt involved and confident – I couldn’t wait to go back. I began mixing in spin and body-combat classes, attending five times a week, while getting my daily step tally back up to 10,000.
Confidence buoyed, I started weight training with a PT in October 2022. He helped me identify my goal – building muscle to feel strong and mobile – and taught me how to get there through progressively overloading the weights I’d lift. In a few weeks, I felt stronger than ever. Now, I lift weights three times a week, run and attend a fitness class. I fuel my fitness with simple, nutritious meals; breakfast might be porridge, lunch is often a chicken salad and dinner will be a stir-fry.
I’ve lost the weight I gained during my grief-induced binges and I no longer feel out of breath walking up a flight of stairs. Last year saw a real milestone: I ran a half marathon, raising £1,000 for my mum’s hospice. I’d never have considered taking part in a group run a few years ago – let alone 13.1 miles. It’s no exaggeration to say I’ve transformed my life. If I ever feel like giving up, I think of Mum.
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