MY JOURNEY
THE BEGINNING
Throughout my childhood and teenage years I was extremely sporty. You name it, I played it! In high school I got really into rugby which was introduced to me in PE. From there I got selected to play for my local club, then county and divisional level. From the age of 15 this became my main sport, and I completely fell in love with it.
I continued to play rugby at a high level throughout my time at the University of Exeter, training 6 times a week whilst studying for a full-time degree. The transition of moving away from home, doubling my training, starting a degree and having to look after myself definitely took a toll.
Being surrounded by so many other sporty people, I was constantly comparing myself to them. I also started to follow fitness influencers online which was where things started to take a turn for the worst for me.
Alongside now getting weighed before every gym session, there just seemed to be this huge pressure to be a certain size and look a certain way. My main goal was to get shredded abs and lose as much weight as possible despite being a healthy weight and already having great muscle definition.
My boyfriend at the time introduced me to calorie tracking apps, which he used to track his food in order to bulk/ cut. From here on, I consistently tracked everything I ate for around 2 years. I was completely obsessed with trying to eat as little as possible whilst still training and studying full time. I convinced myself that because I was an athlete that the less body fat I had, the better I would be.
THE DISTOPIA
THE CONSEQUENCES
My actions didn't come without consequences. I started to feel extremely cold all the time, I wasn’t able to concentrate on my work, food became my only thought. I lost my period, but nothing else mattered to me other than having as little body fat as physically possible.
I remember taking part in a university study and my body fat results came back as 8% BF, which I was over the moon about when in fact this should’ve been a wake up call! I became ill more often with colds. I experienced frequent injuries and bruising, and my circulation became very poor. I went to the doctors and was diagnosed with Raynaud’s disease. Even then, I still didn’t change…
I stopped going out with friends because I couldn’t allow myself to consume “unclean” or “bad” foods and began to overeat late at night because I was restricting my intake throughout the day. When I returned home for summer after my first year, my friends mentioned that I’d lost a lot of weight and questioned if I was okay. I would frequently use training as an excuse, but making excuses was a clear sign that what I was doing wasn't healthy.
THE CHANGE
Even with all these alarm bells ringing and causing constant concerns to those around me, it took the threat of my vitality being taken away to make me realise. My coach sat me down with a dietitian to make me realise that this cannot go on. If I wanted to continue playing rugby then I had to change my focus.
I began to implement things back into my diet that I had previously feared, started going out again and focusing on my performance and health. From this point everything changed. I met my current boyfriend, I began to feel stronger again with more energy and I found ways to be creative with food.
THE PRESENT
Now, I can honestly say that I am a new person. The person I always wanted to be. Unfortunately, I am stubborn, and it took putting my body through hell to get here, but regardless I made it.
I initially started an Instagram page to track my own progress, post my innovative recipes and new healthy living. After receiving attention and with my explosive interest and love for dietetics, I started my own business to offer the support, guidance and help people.
I’ve never felt so happy and at peace with food and exercise as I do right now, and I want to show you how you can achieve just that!
No more fad diets, no more restricting, no more cutting carbs, no more turning down invites. Life is for living, and you can optimise your health and wellbeing with no compromises.