By Rebecca Drew
THIS stunning woman has more than 22K followers on Instagram after documenting her almost six-stone weight loss on the social media site.
Growing up, personal trainer, Regan Patterson (25) from Orlando, Florida, USA, played sports for her school team and this active lifestyle meant that she never watched what she was eating. After she finished high school, Regan no longer played sports but still ate what she wanted which lead to her reaching 15st 12lbs and a UK size 18-20.

Fed up of covering up her body and skipping trips to the beach with family and friends, Regan started making small lifestyle changes and working out at the gym just two to three days a week which is where she found her passion for fitness and decided on her career. Regan is now a super fit 10st 2lbs and a UK size six to eight.
âI played three different sports all throughout school growing up. I was very active and never really watched closely what I ate and after I graduated high school, I stopped playing sports. Thatâs when I gained all the weight because I wasnât active like I was before and continued to not watch what I was eating which led to my weight gain,â said Regan.

âI was disappointed that I let myself gain that much weight. I was very insecure about my body.
âI missed out on a lot of life events, like going to the beach with friends or family because I would not wear a bathing suit. All I ever did was worry about covering up my body.
âI was tired of it constantly being on my mind. Constantly worrying about what other people were thinking. I got fed up with feeling insecure so I told myself I had no other choice but to keep going until I got there.

âI always say that weight loss is simple, but itâs not easy. I count macros (another form of calorie counting) and work out five to six days a week now.
âBut I started by working out like two to three days a week and just small changes to my diet. Itâs okay to start with little lifestyle changes because they will eventually add up to big ones.â
For Regan, losing weight is one of her biggest achievements so far and she says that people are amazed when they see her transformation and she says she was still able to eat foods like pizza, burgers and ice cream on her journey. She shared her advice to others.

âI tell people all the time that itâs okay to be proud of yourself and to praise your own accomplishments,â she added.
âLosing weight isnât easy and I am proud that I stuck with it through the hard times and accomplished what I have so far.

âWhat a lot of people donât realise is that you can still eat the foods you love and still lose weight. I still eat pizza, ice cream, burgers, but all in moderation. I always preach about the 80/20 rule: 80% nutrient dense foods and 20% treats.
âI can make a treat here and there fit into my daily calories and still lose weight and I think thatâs what is key to making this something that you can do forever.

âExercise in the beginning for me, I did it just to do it and over the course of my weight loss journey, I completely fell in love with it. So much, that I became a personal trainer myself.
âThe hardest part about losing weight is patience. Itâs not something that happens overnight so you have to tell yourself that from the beginning. You didnât gain the weight overnight, so you canât expect to lose it overnight.

âJust start and keep going. Small changes like adding in vegetables to your meals, drinking more water and being more active throughout the week work.
âOnce you get in the habit of doing that, add in more daily changes and keep going. Itâs hard to change your lifestyle completely overnight and thatâs why small changes are good to start with. Just donât stop, even when you slip up.â
For more information see www.instagram.com/regan_patterson