A 25-year-old ditched the student diet and boozy nights to lose eight stone and go from a size 24 to size 10.
Olivia Malone, from Irlam, Salford picked up some unhealthy habits during her student days at Huddersfield and as a postgraudate in Salford.
But it wasn’t until one of her friends bought her a set of scales that Ms Malone found out she weighed 17 stone 7lbs.
After doing some research and ditching her former lifestyle she dropped eight stone, Manchester Evening News reports.
As a student, she would snack on meal deals and order takeaways before a boozy night out with her pals.
As the first Covid lockdown hit she decided to make a change.
She said: “In the first lockdown I got a job that required me to be active, so I thought I might as well start trying to be more healthy.
“My friend had lost a stone, and she bought me some scales and sent them to my house. I didn’t know what my weight was, until then I didn’t have a clue, I just knew I was very overweight – but was stunned to see I was 17 stone 7lb.
Marking a change Ms Malone educated herself on nutrition and got inspiration from fitness workouts on social media to start her weight loss journey.
She said: “I followed an exercise influencer on Instagram called Courtney Black, I would follow her religiously for her workouts, and then it was all about teaching myself a healthy relationship with food.
“I’d switch out things for lower calories. By counting calories, I would find out what my calories needed to be, and stick to it religiously, I was so strict at the beginning and at the start I was losing a stone a month for the first three to four months.”
Ms Malone quickly saw her lifestyle changing with increased energy alongside the weight loss and decided to try the couch to 5k App.
A few years on she has just completed her first half marathon and has already applied for her first full marathon in Barcelona next year.
She said: “I also go to the gym, I make a point of going to the gym five nights a week, sometimes it’s for running or weight training or other types of cardio.”
Alongside her regular exercise, she also goes for a 30-minute walk on her lunch breaks and replaces her old diet with “fakeaways” and fresh foods.
She added: “I make fakeaways and they honestly taste a lot nicer because it’s fresher and I’ve made it all myself.
“I genuinely don’t miss takeaways at all because I know I can make them taste just as nice.”
Not everyone could believe the transformation with friends and family now asking Ms Malone for advice on their fitness journey.
Ms Malone said: “I am really proud of myself, I know it sounds big headed but I am. I did all this by myself – I never had a personal trainer, I learnt everything myself on nutrition and fitness to get me to this stage.
“But when it comes to advice I do say there’s no magic, there’s no secret – it’s get off your bum and move around a bit, and eat less calories.
“I would also say to concentrate on your food first – because you can’t out-train a bad diet. If you can nail the diet first you’ve got a good starting point.”
