By Rebecca Drew
MEET the super sexy Irish air hostess who lost almost a stone in just a few months after upping her calorie intake and ditching her gruelling daily cardio routine.
Cabin crew, Maeve Kavanagh (26) from Termonfeckin, Co. Louth, Ireland, was stuck in a vicious circle of restricting carbs and limiting her calories to a maximum of 1,800 a day which would result in binging. Despite doing cardio every day and attending spin and boxing, Maeve always felt unhappy with how she looked in pictures. At 13st 3lbs and a UK size 14, she decided to overhaul her regime.
Now, Maeve weight trains five times a week and doesn’t do any cardio other than boxing when she’s at home, she fuels her workouts with 2,200 calories a day. At a svelte UK size 10-12 and 12st 5lbs, Maeve feels more confident than ever and even says her work uniform fits better.
“I think before I wasn’t aware enough of what I was eating, while I went through great phases of ‘eating clean’ I was definitely over eating those foods,” she said.
“Also, while travelling previously I’d just let loose and definitely enjoyed a few too many American brekkies.
“For a long time I didn’t actually realise I was that big. It’s only now that I look back and compare photos that I can see exactly how much weight I was carrying.
“I knew I wasn’t slim and I think not looking nice in certain clothes got me down and standing next to my friends who were smaller didn’t feel nice.
“We all want to look good, and I suppose I’m no different in that sense. I’d seen so many incredible transformations and I knew I had to have that in me too. If I could get to a point where I was happy with my body and help or inspire someone to do the same, that would be amazing.
“I wanted to do it healthily, to go slow and steady, because yes, I could have gone hard and been super strict and got very fast results, but I’d never kept weight off before by doing that, so I was determined to do it right this time.
“There’s no secret formula, its honestly so simple. A good nutrition plan and training hard equals results. Before I would have been so strict, eliminating lots of foods, mainly carbs, labelling them as bad, but that causes a restrict and binge cycle, which is just such an unhealthy relationship with food.
“I made sure I was eating the foods I loved, foods to fuel my body, but always worked in ‘treats’ or foods that aren’t usually considered ‘diet foods’.
“I mean no one can complain about a diet you get to eat Nutella, can they? This way, it just limits cravings, and I don’t get that awful guilt after consuming something I would have previously had on a black list.
“While losing weight doesn’t necessarily have any direct effect on me getting into flying as a career, I can remember while flying previously with another company how awful it felt squeezing into a uniform, they’re unforgiving at the best of times.
“I suppose that led to me feeling self-conscious. Now I’m honestly just so confident every day I go to work.”
For Maeve, getting over her fear of food was the best thing she has ever done and her advice to others is to take the lifestyle change one step at a time.
“One step at a time. Don’t go in all guns blazing and try to change one-hundred things at once. Set mini goals like drinking more water, eating more protein, getting more steps in,” she said.
“Achieving mini goals will inspire you to achieve bigger ones and it won’t seem like such a big task when you break it all down. Definitely join a gym or get some advice from a coach so you’re on the right path to reach whatever your goals are.
“Don’t compare yourself to others. This is your journey, these are your goals.
“Ask yourself why and this why will be your motivation and driving force that keeps you going.”
For more information see www.instagram.com/prettyprincess_fitness
