How this mum lost 20 kilos in 4 months, saved money AND improved her PCOS symptoms

After struggling with an unhealthy relationship with food since she was a young teen, Jess became determined not to pass on her issues with food and body image onto her daughter.

Having watched the Healthy Mummy from the sidelines for 10 years, Jess made the plunge four months ago and joined the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.

In that time, she has already dropped over 20 kilos and is feeling so many other health benefits.

Not only has her PCOS symptoms improved, she is feeling mentally stronger than every before, and is so much happier and excited to get up every morning.

‘I find myself smiling now for no reason other than I am just happy. I feel like I have found myself and who I am in the last few months and am loving learning how to express that.’

All about Jess

Jess Harvey is a 33-year-old healthy mummy from South Australia with four children aged 13, 11, 9 and 7 months old.

She reveals that she was seriously worried for her own health during her last pregnancy when was confined to a wheel chair due to her size.

“I genuinely believe I was going to die in childbirth as I had no faith in my body to be able to bring another human into this world.”

Around the same time, Jess also noticed her 11 year old daughter wearing bagging clothes and was developing issues with her body image.

Determined not to pass on her own negative relationship with food and body, Jess knew she needed to make some changes.

Having been a silent watcher of the Healthy Mummy, Jess decided it was time and joined.

Jess has lost over 20 kilos in 4 months!

‘Since I signed up with Healthy Mummy in February I have lost 20.7kg. I started at 125.9kg and want to get to 65kg again.’

Jess reveals that her weight loss has not only affected her physically but impacted virtually every aspect of her life including her mental, emotional, social and financial health.

‘I have never been fitter in my adult life. When I started with the Healthy Mummy I went for a 3km walk that took me 88 minutes to complete.

“I’m now doing park runs and doing 5km in 47mins and getting that down every day. I don’t get as tired as quickly and I have so much more energy.’

‘When I started my resting heart rate sat between 94-99. It’s now at an average of 67bmp. My heart is thanking me for making the changes I have.’

‘I can’t wait to see what is still to come’

And that’s not the only change for Jess as a PCOS sufferer the weight loss has really improved her symptoms.

Jess was diagnosed with PCOS 6 years ago and around the time of the diagnosis put on almost 30kg. She attempted to lose the extra weight with a number of different diets some of which were extremely restrictive and ultimate failed.

‘I had high levels of androgen which caused my hair to fall out, severe acne and male hair growth on my face and body.’

‘The Healthy Mummy has helped me regulate my hormones, has cleared up my acne, has reduced my insulin resistance and significantly reduced my symptoms of PCOS.’

‘Pretty much every symptom I had with the PCOS has improved since this lifestyle change and continues to get better every day. I can’t wait to see what is still to come.

I was also diagnosed with fatty liver and sleep apnea and ended up on CPAP therapy.

Since doing the Healthy Mummy my hormone levels and androgen levels in my blood are decreasing. Since having the collagen booster in my smoothie my hair is growing back thicker and my skin has cleared up completely. For the first time in my life since puberty I no longer have severe acne.’

Jess is under close consultation with her GP for managing the condition and is thrilled that her latest blood tests reveal significant improvements with her insulin resistance and she no longer takes medication.  She also no longer sleeps with the CPAP machine and the sleep apnoea has all but gone away.

Mental Health Benefits

Jess also has suffered with anxiety and depression since she was a teenager but says her mental health has never been stronger.

‘In consultation with my GP I am reducing my anti depressants and feel incredible mental strength.’

Socially, I am now surrounded by an amazing group of women on the various Healthy Mummy Facebook pages who I am connecting with and receiving encouragement from. I am out doing park runs and fitness challenges in my local area and meeting new people. From someone who 6 months ago would maybe leave her house once a week, this is a massive change.’

‘I’m actually excited to wake up and get out of bed every day now.’

Jess has embraced all things Healthy Mummy including some of the amazing weight loss and SKIN products available.

‘I have almost every Healthy Mummy product you can buy. I love the Smoothies, especially the Tummy smoothies as they help me reduce bloating that I get from PCOS and are also so versatile for adding in to any flavoured smoothie. I also love the caramel premium smoothie mix for that bit of extra decadence.’

‘The coconut coffee body scrub has become my fav skin product from the Healthy Mummy range. I use it every week in the shower and have gone from having horrible painful ingrown hairs to beautiful soft, smooth, pain free skin.’

Jess Favourite Healtly Mummy Meals and Snacks

• Hidden veg sausage rolls
• Chocolate Weetbix slice
• Biscoff Lava oats
• Chocolate caramel swirl smoothie
• Stovetop lasagne is a massive hit in this house

Jess saves over $100 per week

‘I have saved huge amounts of money with the Healthy Mummy. My shopping has come down by over $100 a week which means in the 4 months I’ve been on Healthy Mummy I’ve saved at least $1500 in food shopping alone. Not to mention all the money I have saved by not getting takeaway 3-4 times a week which has saved me probably that same amount again.’

Jess’s Budget Tips

1. Meal prep and plan. If you plan ahead you can reuse ingredients that you have already in the cupboard. Try and find meals with similar ingredients to use up what you already have.
2. Take advantage of the bulk meals on the app. I am someone who gets bored really easily with food so I can’t repeat the same meals every night but with the bulk recipes it gives you different ways to use what you’re cooking to get different meals and flavours with each one, keeping it simple but different and delicious.
3. Shop at the fruit and veg shops or markets for fresh fruit and veg. Saves so much money and whatever I can’t find there fresh at a good price I will substitute for something else or buy frozen alternatives.
4. Plan meals at the end of each week that you can throw any unused veggies into to save wastage. I always like to do a spag bol or shepherds pie at the end of the week and throw all the veggies I have left in the fridge that aren’t any good as they are anymore. Adds nutrients, bulks it out and saves wastage.

Favourite workouts

‘I have found a love for walking and starting to discover a love for jogging. Not only is it a great workout but I find it helps clear my head as well. For me walking has become as much about my mental health as it has about my physical health. I really notice the days that I don’t go for a walk that my mental health changes.’

‘I also love the meditation workouts on the app to help me slow down and unwind after a long day. I’m now working my way through all the different types of workouts on the app to see what I have a love for. I’m taking a Marie Kondo approach to my exercise. If it doesn’t bring me joy, I throw it away. I look forward to finding new ways to move my body that I love.’

Jess Three Tips for Success

1.MOTIVATION

Find your why and your motivation. If you don’t have a strong sense of what you want or why you’re working towards the goals you have then you’ll find it too easy to get lost along the way and give up. It’s only when you know your why will you have the drive and strength to succeed.

2. WATER, WATER, WATER!

Drink water whenever you can. It will help keep you full, it will help clear your skin, it helps flush toxins from your body. It’s free and a miracle worker. Remember our bodies can be made up of up to 80% water so we need to maintain those levels to maintain health.

3. MEAL PREP AND PLAN 

You know those times when you’ve had a big day at work, you’re running late home, the kids are in a feral mood and driving you crazy, you get home to a messy house and still have to cook tea. It’s all too hard and so you order pizza and veg out instead. With meal planning and meal prep, it not only saves you time and money but means no matter how busy you get or what pops up in your schedule, you already have healthy, delicious and portioned food ready for you to eat. I always like to make sure I meal prep on a Sunday and include something that’s an easy grab and go snack for if I have to run out in an emergency.

‘Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. We all lose weight differently, we all have different standards of where we want to be. Decide for yourself where YOU want to be, find YOUR why and then work your way towards those goals at a pace you can maintain.

Healthy mummy isn’t a quick fix, it’s for life.’

Did you know The 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge has a meal plan specifically for those with PCOS? Find out more  here.

Join Jess on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge

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You get unrestricted access to :
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● Over 500 different Personal Trainer crafted at-home workouts
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● Over 6000 healthy and delicious recipes at your fingertips
● REAL TIME support from The Healthy Mummy Team and OVER 300,000 other mums

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