Weight loss is often associated with following an intense diet and cutting certain food groups out of your diet. It is a well known fact that exercise is a main factor in boosting weight loss results as it can help your body burn more calories. One woman has shared how she transformed her life at the age of 46 by following this exercise regime and healthy eating.
London based lawyer, Samira Khan has shared with the Express.co.uk how she managed to transform her life at the age of 46.
Inspired by Jennifer Lopez on a magazine cover, Samira decided to change her exercise and eating habits.
She said: “I had tried everything. I tried dieting, eating healthy, going to the gym, and drinking smoothies. I also followed the trend of drinking meal replacements for lunch and breakfast, or even skipping lunch, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lose the weight.
“Being British Asian…I never saw any successful female gym personalities with Asian ethic backgrounds. Growing up I didn’t have any Asian role models to look up to either. Asian families focused more on academics, then counting carbs and calories.
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“And being a size 14 didn’t help. Shopping for clothes was a nightmare…Besides, I never looked good in anything. I was overweight, my body felt heavy and tired, and I couldn’t run for more than 15 minutes, as my knees started hurting. At the time, I didn’t know how I let myself go.”
Samira spent between 12 and 16 hours a day at the office and worked weekends too. This meant it was easier for her to grab lunch and dinner on the go rather than making it at home.
She explained: “I realised I needed a big change…It’s so easy to have that takeaway after work, but waking up at 4:30 am, seven days a week, pre-planning your meals and eating healthy, staying away from processed foods, carbs, and sugars everyday is something entirely else.
Samira explains how she thought about contacting her local gym for a personal trainer but had one previously and didn’t see much of a result.
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The mum said: “That’s when I heard about Ultimate Performance Fitness from a former work colleague. “Have you’ve seen the posters when going down the escalators to Liverpool Street station?” he asked. Now I remembered, I used to glance up at those god and goddesses smiling back at me with their before-and-after shots, but I never really took notice or believed it was possible.
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“But, after heating his experiences about completing their 12-week programme, I was intrigued.
“U.P Fitness provides a bespoke training programme, they match your ambition with the right personal trainer, they setup your diet, calorie intake, daily steps, and training programme that suits your busy working-life.
“I was determined to lose weight and live healthy. Getting out from your comfort zone take a lot of courage…I chose the 12 weeks’ body transformation programme, bought the vitamins, supplements, protein, and Fitbit to count my steps. I went home and cleaned the cupboards and threw anything of temptation away.
“The first week was a shock to my body. I couldn’t walk down or up the stairs to the Underground. Tears wept down my face. My body hurt, it was painful and I was covered in sweat.
“The second week, I threw up and used profane and obscene language, like never before…Week by week, I grew stronger. I laughed, and I cried. I was hungry. I felt a roller-coaster of emotions.”
Samira explains that saying no to going out with friends for food and drinks was hard but persistence is key and the odd cheat day here and there is good. She said that having something to look forward to everyday helped her, and that was her breakfast.
She said: “A bowl of 200g Fat-Free Greek yoghurt mixed with one scoop of U.P Fitness’s Chocotrients, a nutrient-rich chocolate power formula, high in antioxidants. Having this first thing in the morning, made sure I had a great start to the day but also to stay focused.”
Breakfast is known to be the most important meal of the day as it can help with weight loss and kickstart your metabolism.
When you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. When you eat breakfast, you activate a process called thermogenesis which stimulates your metabolism.
Eating a big meal at breakfast will keep you fuller for longer which will mean you will be less inclined to snack throughout the day, reducing your overall daily intake.
Samira is now in the best shape of her life after training with weights three times per week, getting 10,000 steps a day and building a dirt high in protein, with plenty of vegetables and healthy fats.
Source: Daily Express | Diet
