Mum-of-four has lost 13.1kg in 5 months! ‘I have a waist again!’

Laura West has managed to lose 13.1kg and over 54cm in just five months and gone down from a size 20/18 down to a comfortable 14/16 after signing up to the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.

The WA-based mum-of-four says defining moment that made her determined to lose the weight after she began to feel unlike herself.

“I was feeling horrible, sleeping badly, had all over body aches,” she admits. “I was hating the person I saw in the mirror and in photos, knowing that I was hiding behind a fake smile everyday.

“I knew that if I didn’t make a change now then I probably wouldn’t do it and would continue hating myself.”

Mum has gone from a size 20 to a 14 in just 5 months

What’s more, Laura says she’s noticed so many health benefits after losing the weight.

“I feel fitter, stronger, I sleep much better, I love eating healthy and sharing these healthy meals with our family,” she says.

“I now love exercising daily. Overall I feel less overwhelmed with my daily lifestyle and I love my life again.”

Best of all, Laura LOVES the fact that she feels like herself again – and has a waist again.

“I love seeing how my body is transforming, seeing a waist again,” she says. “The changes have been very noticeable in my face too.

“I now have the fun of playing dress ups with my clothes as they all fit again which is so amazing and motivating to keep this incredible journey going.

“My body feels strong and I feel more toned. Mentally, I feel a thousand times better, I can cope with my daily life better, if I feel tense I go for a walk or do a workout from The Healthy Mummy app, which clears my head and puts me in a fantastic headspace to carry on my day. I feel happy, positive and excited for what my future holds.”

What a typical day looks like on a plate for Laura

Breakfast – peanut butter jelly smoothie

Morning snack – rice cakes with avocado, cheese and pepper

Lunch – easy zucchini slice or chilli poached eggs

Afternoon snack – Holiday Smoothie or Berry Burst Smoothie

Dinner – One Pot bolognese or Mexican Lasagna

Dessert – Chocolate pretzel stack

My favourite meals are:

• One pot bolognese
  Mexican lasagna
  Zucchini slice
  Chilli poached eggs
  Easy fried rice
  Belly blasting burger
  Scrambled eggs with asparagus
  Tuna melt

My favourite snacks are:

• Chocolate pretzel stacks
  Rice cakes with avocado, cheese and pepper.

“I use the Healthy Mummy smoothies everyday, I use the cookies & cream, Sneakylicious, chocolate and honeycomb. My all time favourite is the peanut butter jelly smoothie, followed by the holiday smoothie and berry burst.”

Laura’s 3 tips for success

1. Plan ahead and meal prep to assist you with sticking to your daily/weekly meal plan, keep up your water intake and move your body.

2. Be kind to yourself as you are about to start your journey, set small goals such as when I started I aimed for 5kgs loss, 10kgs loss, my next 2 goals are to reach particular weights. Focus on getting through each day/week with ease so that it feels natural and not overwhelming.

3. Reach out to the Healthy Mummy Community on the Facebook pages as everyone is going through the same, everyone is on their own journey and everyone is there to support and motivate each other.

She adds, “While other people may be your inspiration at the moment, you and your journey will become someone else’s inspiration. Be proud of your achievements as you made the changes for you!”