A young woman who lost 65 kilos after an ex-boyfriend called her ‘fat’ has shared the meals and exercise routine she has followed to keep the weight off three years later.
Hayley Westoby, who is based in Sydney, reached 119 kilos during her first year at university, blaming student staples like alcohol and junk food for her increase in size.
But after an ex raised concerns about her weight the now 28-year-old shed more than half her weight naturally to sit at a comfortable 54 kilos, relying on a rigorous training schedule and carefully mapped out snacks.
‘Small realistic goals is what kick-started my weight loss journey,’ she told FEMAIL.
Hayley Westoby, who is based in Sydney, reached 119 kilos during her first year at university, blaming student staples like alcohol and junk food for her increase in size
But after an ex raised concerns about her weight the now 28-year-old shed more than half her weight naturally to sit at a comfortable 54 kilos
‘I started by giving myself four weeks to lose five kilos. Reset your goals monthly, to stay motivated and reward yourself with new activewear or sneakers if you get it – don’t treat yourself with food, you’re not a dog.’
The senior account director at an events agency argues that consistency is key and a lot of her weeks look very similar because she is a ‘creature of habit’.
‘I start my day, every weekday, with some sort of movement – a boxing class, weights, cardio at the gym or a walk,’ she said.
Post training Hayley reaches for a long black coffee before indulging in a balanced meal of protein and veggies at midday.
‘I start my day, every weekday, with some sort of movement – a boxing class, weights, cardio at the gym or a walk,’ she said
Post training Hayley reaches for a long black coffee before indulging in a balanced meal of protein and veggies at midday
‘I usually feel more hungry in the afternoon and find myself snacking. So I eat later and save my intake of carbs for the afternoon,’ she said.
‘I also try and prepare all of my food on Sunday so I am not inclined to buy food.’
She’ll have one or two Before You Speak mocha coffees which ‘hit the sweet cravings’ without the hundreds of calories and snack on raw water-based veggies like cucumbers and capsicums.
Her next full meal of lean protein and vegetables will be between 3 and 4pm, and then dinner, but this is sometimes skipped if she is still full from her earlier portions.
Her next full meal of lean protein and vegetables will be between 3 and 4pm, and then dinner, but this is sometimes skipped if she is still full from her earlier portions
She eats office snacks like Grain Waves, chocolate and lollies mindfully, knowing that she has eaten well during the first half of the day.
‘I sometimes find it helpful to log food in MyFitnessPal to interpret foods which I might not necessarily understand the calorie content of. That way I can be mindful when I am consuming it and be conscious of how much I am consuming,’ she said.
‘I tend to look at calorie consumption over a couple of days. If I have a day where I overeat or eat a lot, the next day I might not eat til 1pm to create a calorie deficit to cover me for the day before. Conscious consumption is not restrictive, but it is informed.’
While Hayley is currently trying to build up muscle in the gym, she warns against people who use the word ‘toning’ to describe it
While Hayley is currently trying to build up muscle in the gym, she warns against people who use the word ‘toning’ to describe it.
‘Toning quite simply is building muscle, yet people feel that they can achieve a toned look without increasing their muscle mass – which is crazy,’ she said.
‘Toning isn’t really a thing. Toning put simply is the presence of muscle that is visible. Now that presence of muscle is not currently visible because you either don’t have a large amount of muscle mass or that muscle is covered in fat.’
‘Toning quite simply is building muscle, yet people feel that they can achieve a toned look without increasing their muscle mass – which is crazy,’ she said
In order to achieve that lithe look you desire, the average person will have to increase their muscle mass through weight training or body weight training through Pilates or HIIT circuits.
Hayley firmly believes there us no singular exercise to build a ‘toned’ body part as you can’t ‘spot train’ certain areas, however you can create more of a focus on certain parts during your sessions.
For example, if you would like a more toned posterior you can have three leg-focused weight days a week.