'I lost weight almost immediately!' Woman, 54, shares diet and exercise plans behind 2st transformation

Following a guided diet or exercise plan is a great way to stay motivated when trying to lose weight.

Clare Kelly, 54, shed the pounds by pairing The Fast 800 diet plan with regular exercise.

The Fast 800 is a form of intermittent fasting which involves reducing how many calories you eat on certain days of the week.

Clare shared her reasons for starting the plan, stating: "My decision to start The Fast 800 programme was twofold. I think my menopause started just before the pandemic, then like everyone else, I was locked down in my house, caring for my elderly mother who lived with us at the time.

"I exercised regularly, but my eating choices weren’t great, largely dictated by my mum’s preferences. Controlling my weight was incredibly difficult; I was rapidly piling on the pounds and I suffered dreadfully from joint pain, insomnia, and frequent hot flushes.

"I was experiencing around three flushes an hour which was becoming intolerable." However, this all changed when she began using the diet plan.

She added: "I lost weight almost immediately, my sleep improved, and the hot flushes decreased significantly. My joint pain also improved and my energy levels started to soar.

"I felt in control of my body for the first time in years. I needed to buy new clothes by the end of the 12-week programme, which I was thrilled about."

Diet and exercise go hand in hand, and Clare signed up at her local gym to enhance her weight loss progress. She continued: "I joined my local gym where I found a supportive community, consisting of many like-minded middle aged women. I believe this was pivotal.

"At the gym, I explored new exercises, including cardio and pump classes. Last autumn, I started training with a PT and I can now lift almost 70kg.

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"I've also started doing yoga again and I've introduced Pilates." Clare has managed to maintain her results and says she takes a mindful approach to the food that she eats.

The slimmer added: "In addition to my new fitness regime, I'm more careful about reading food labels and cooking from scratch nowadays. I barely drink alcohol anymore, which I used to do several nights a week."

Alcohol is full of calories but offers little nutritional value, so cutting back on this can make it easier to manage how many calories you are consuming.