By Liana Jacob
MEET the stunning Londoner who has been flaunting her abs in crop tops after shedding nearly two-stone in just nine-months.
University student, Tali Vaisbart (19), who lives in London, UK, never considered how her previous lifestyle had affected her and she would eat junk food and sweets because her friends did the same. She thought if they looked great, she felt great.
This unhealthy diet and lack of exercise led to her reaching 10st 10Ibs and a UK size 10 to 12.
One day, Tali looked in the mirror and hated what she saw. This made her change her eating habits and she incorporated weight lifting into her routine. After discovering a love for weight lifting, she built up muscle and landed on a lean weight of 9st 2Ibs and a slender UK size eight, while consuming 1,800 calories a day.
âMy previous weight gain occurred due to not being conscious with my food. I would eat a lot of junk and sweets because I thought it was OK,â Tali said.
âAll my friends were doing it and they looked great, so I thought I could do it too. There was a period of my life when I was in denial and didnât see the extent to which I got to.
âHowever, one morning, I saw myself in the mirror and it hit me. I hated how I looked, I felt awful and self-conscious and I really did hate my body.
âI looked at all of my friends, girls in magazines and on social media and I wanted to look like them. At first, I began to go to the gym and doing hours and hours of cardio.
âI also started to watch what I eat and continuously decreased my calorie intake to only eight-hundred to one-thousand a day. I became bored and miserable from the endless hours on the treadmill and my calories got unhealthily low.
âI was never diagnosed with an eating disorder but I had all the symptoms, but through YouTube and Instagram, I discovered weight lifting.
âI fell in love with it and pushed my body like I never have done before. I loved training and learning more about different movements and training styles; it gave me such a rush.
âThis has changed my life in terms of my aesthetics but there is so much more of a bigger change that occurred mentally.
âIâm still by no means completely confident or happy with my body, but I am so much better than I was. I finally feel like I have a healthy relationship with food and exercise. I am enjoying my training more than ever and it helps to reduce my stress and anxiety.
âMy state of mind is more at peace and I am not as worried about going out for a meal with friends or to a club in case it will âruin my progressâ – because it wonât.
âI am confident enough to workout at the gym in my sports bra and leggings. Crop tops are no longer a big issue.
âHowever, I still have days when I am extremely self-conscious and anxious, where I just want to cover everything up and hide away.
âNo one will ever be one-hundred percent ok with their body, so I am still on that journey but I am hoping that one day I will fully except myself.â
Tali now does weight training six times a week, focusing on all aspects of her body, but while the exercise changes have been a break-through, she found changing her diet the hardest part of her journey.
âIt is sometimes hard to eat completely healthy and stay on track when there are so many unhealthy options marketed around,â she said.
âEspecially the price differences between the healthy food in shops and unhealthy take-aways, however, I no longer feel guilty when eating something that is considered as âbadâ, so it has become easier.
âWhen the changes first started becoming clear, a lot of people were impressed and were asking how I had managed these changes.
âSome people get really inspired by my transformation and send me really lovely messages asking for tips.
âMy best tip of advice would be to either follow a workout guide or get someone to help, but if you are starting off alone, start weightlifting.
âThere are so many free materials out there to use on the internet and so many people who would be willing to help.
âAs much as exercise is important, though, seventy-percent of your result usually comes from nutrition. Make sure to look at your food intake first before starting any workout programme.â
For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/taltulfitness/