By Liana Jacob
MEET the newly-confident student who has overcome her fears of gaining weight and has put on one-stone six pounds of muscle in just one-year by INCREASING her calories by seven-hundred a day.
Final year student, Megan Jones (22), from Midland, USA, put on a surge of weight very fast when she started studying at university and grew into 12st 2Ibs and a UK size 10 to 12.
Her student life of feeling carefree took over and she ended up indulging on junk food, then decided to turn her life around and intensively began applying cardio to her exercise routine, helping her lose 3st 3Ibs and reach a dainty UK size four to six.
While she became more confident losing the weight, being introduced to an Instagram fitness star and weight lifting was the ultimate game changer for her.
She began adding weight lifting to her routine and gaining an impressive one-stone six pounds in just a year revealing a much stronger and voluptuous physique at 10st 8Ibs with a UK size six to eight.
She also increased her calorie intake from 1,200 calories to 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day.
“I was so caught up in the party lifestyle and the newfound freedom that I didn’t even realise how fast I was putting on weight,” Megan said.
“For the first year to two years, I thought cardio was the only thing I could possibly do to lose weight.
“I would spend hours at the gym hopping from one cardio equipment to another trying to burn as many calories as possible.
“I dreaded going to the gym, I hated my body, and was unhappy. Eventually, I could drop the weight I gained it when I moved away plus even more.
“At this time, I was probably eating no more than one-thousand two-hundred calories a day and heavily restricting myself. Once I dropped that weight and began feeling more confident, I felt a lot better but I knew it wasn’t sustainable.
“I couldn’t hate going to the gym every day. I couldn’t be obsessing over what I ate twenty-four-seven, so I decided to make a bigger change; both mental and physical.
“I started experimenting with different kinds of workouts to see if I could change how I feel about the gym.
“I came across GraceFitUk’s Instagram about a year ago and thought the ‘guide and fitness’ community she created was remarkable.
“Initially, her guide is what got me into weightlifting and on to the fitness path I’m on now. I am now in love with lifting weights and training my body to become stronger.
“Also, I’m eating more than I ever have because weightlifting requires a lot of energy. My fitness journey has also sparked a love of cooking—especially healthy, whole foods.”
Moving from cardio to weights was the toughest part of the process, due to her feeling nervous lifting weights and issues with her body.
“It was a hard transition at first because going into the weights section of the gym is super intimidating sometimes and it was hard to re-vamp my body and metabolism to require more food,” she said.
“But keeping consistent by training about four to six days a week with minimal cardio, has allowed me to grow physically and mentally.
“I can honestly say weightlifting has changed my life because I’m no longer afraid of gaining weight. My weight doesn’t define my health because if I’m gaining weight, it just means I’m growing stronger and building muscle.
“I now look forward to going to the gym because I’m constantly training my body and muscles with new things and in new ways. My friends and family support me more than anything, they say I look healthier and happier than I ever have.
“My advice for anyone who wants to get into weightlifting would be to research it and find something that works for you, because everyone is different.
“If you are new to it; guides are very helpful and there are tons of them you can find through Instagram, etc.
“Don’t be afraid of looking stupid because everyone has to start somewhere. You won’t regret it.”
For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/megjonesfit/