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Her turning point to lose weight once and for all came after she realized she was 'worth more than how I felt' |
A mother who struggled with her fluctuating weight after her fifth pregnancy has dropped five dress sizes in an astonishing body transformation.
Personal trainer Gabrielle May, from Hobart, Tasmania, weighed about 198 pounds after "mindlessly eating" convenient prepackaged meals - and she would sometimes devour a whole family sized dessert in one sitting.
At her heaviest, the 34-year-old said she wore size 16 clothing and she found the daily tasks of being a mother challenging. But determined to get on top of her weight once and for all, she banished her tummy and sculpted a toned figure just by tweaking her diet and exercising.
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Before and after: Gabrielle May weighed 90kg at her heaviest. But after being determined to lose weight for good, she banished her tummy to get a toned figure just by tweaking diet |
Before her weight loss, May - who documents her body transformation on Instagram - said she led a "sedentary lifestyle" after she got pregnant with her fifth child.
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The mother slimmed down to a size six and eight after exercising and eating smaller portions |
"I'd never been overly active, I was thin due to an illness and then when I got pregnant with my fifth baby, I gained a lot of weight and had no strength,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
'The issue with my weight had nothing to do with my worth, my beauty or my value. But it made life hard. It made getting up in the morning, hard," she said. "It made walking and sleeping hard. To be constantly uncomfortable, out of breath and aching is hard. I was miserable and didn't even know there was another way to live.
"I was always tired, lacked confidence, put myself last every day, every time. I struggled with the daily tasks of being a mom and I had no energy left at the end of the day to do anything."
After her marriage breakdown, May said she was in a "very lonely place" and she would mindlessly comfort eat with no portion control.
"Everything was for convenience so I was eating lots of prepackaged foods,'" she said. "I thought I ate pretty healthy. I'd have 'healthy' cereal for breakfast, maybe with yogurt too.
"Mindless eating led to lots more food intake than I probably even remember."
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Before her weight loss, Ms May said she led a 'sedentary lifestyle' after she got pregnant with her fifth child |
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Before her weight loss, Ms May said she led a 'sedentary lifestyle' after she got pregnant with her fifth child |
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The mother showing what a difference two years make after she shed 30 kilos from exercising |
But her turning point to lose weight once and for all came after she realized she was "worth more than how I felt."
May explains: "I realized I deserved the effort that it took and the investment in myself. I knew I was going to love myself strong and that's what I committed to instead of punishing myself with a workout and then getting discouraged when results don't happen instantly."
In less than two years of working out and eating smaller portions of food, she slimmed down to a size six to eight after shedding 66 pounds.
"I went from not being able to pick myself up off the floor to smashing out burpees. I went from being puffed out walking 1K to running a marathon in two years," she said.
"Now, I eat real food, plenty of pasta, bread, fruit and vegetables. Lots of variety but I portion it to match the energy I use. I can stick to my portion, I enjoy it and I'm eating it for the flavors and not to feel better."
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She used to 'mindlessly eat' prepackaged meals, now eats her favorite food such as pasta and bread without making any sacrifices |
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The mother-of-five - who currently weighs around 60kg (right when she was 33 years old) - has more energy now than before having just two kids at the age of 22 (left) |
With exercising, she works out at the gym between five to six times a week, up to 30 minutes each session.
"It depends on the season. I just finished marathon training which was five runs per week and two gym sessions. Now I'm back to five to six gym workouts a week," she said.
She currently weighs around 132 pounds. For anyone who wants to lose weight but don't know where to start, May's advice is: "Consistent work will change your life, energy and ability - and that will change your weight."
