By Liana Jacob

MEET the British sports manager whose weight led to depression but has since transformed her look to become Tinder confident after losing nearly EIGHT-STONE in just eighteen-months after she split from her boyfriend of seven years.

Sports manager, Louise Adshead (32), who lives in Manchester, UK, was brought up by her parents who were in the Royal Air Force, which meant she had to move frequently. Her mum was hospitalised whilst living in Germany after the birth of her sister, as she contracted MRSA, and the family had to move back to England for treatment.

Before. Louise Adshead / mediadrumworld.com

 

This event resulted in her living with relatives and relying on food for comfort. She was then diagnosed with depression when she was just 16-years-old, by the age of 18 she reached the weight of 18st 7Ibs and UK size 22.

Having gone through a long-term relationship which turned into marriage, and then a confidence-destroying divorce which left her struggling with the new Tinder style of dating, Louise was inspired to change her lifestyle. She slimmed down to 10st 9Ibs and a UK size 10 to 12. Her new body has now given her the confidence to start dating again.

Before and after. Louise Adshead / mediadrumworld.com

 

“My dad was in the RAF and my mum then got MRSA after the birth of my baby sister and got very ill. She ended up at the John Radcliffe hospital having a heart valve replacement,” she said.

“During this time, I lived with various family members who kind of let me eat what I wanted to comfort me, and I believe this is where my reliance on food started.

“Comfort eating and being incredibly fussy, led to my previous weight; I wouldn’t eat most vegetables but ate some fruit.

Before and after. Louise Adshead / mediadrumworld.com

 

“My diet was very high in carbohydrates and I loved eating lots of rice, noodles, toasties, chips, chocolate etc.

“I very much used food as a comfort tool, so all throughout my adulthood I would diet and then pile the weight back on.

“I felt incredibly down, and I was diagnosed with depression at age sixteen. I reached my highest weight by age eighteen. I never felt good enough to be wanted or loved.

“I went through a break up; I was with my ex for seven years and married before we split. Becoming single after seven years was scary; the whole dating world had changed.

Before and after. Louise Adshead / mediadrumworld.com

 

“Tinder and other dating apps didn’t exist before and the emphasis on ‘looks’ had heightened since the last time I was single.

“I started to work out, got myself a personal trainer and when I asked how often I needed to train to hit my goals he said at least four times a week.”

From her previous routine of just comfort eating and doing no exercise, Louise began training four to five times a week with 80 percent being resistance training and the remainder of the time doing cardio.

Before and after. Louise Adshead / mediadrumworld.com

 

Her new diet of healthy food choices and vigorous training, Louise transformed her body and mind and is now happy with her physique, exuding confidence along the way.

“I’m way more confident in my appearance. I’ve always been seen as confident but it’s great to feel it. I can now go into any clothes shop and buy stuff. I feel comfortable dating, and not being ‘the big girl’,” she said.

“I also changed careers which I don’t think I would have had the confidence to do before; from area training manager for MAC cosmetics to a sports manager at David Lloyd Clubs.

Before and after. Louise Adshead / mediadrumworld.com

 

“I’m genuinely the happiest I have ever been. But I also know that I’m capable of more than I give myself credit for.

“I know I can switch off the voices in my head that tell me I can’t do stuff because I’ve proven to myself that I can.”

Her journey has helped her see who she really is, but the toughest part for Louise was when her weight plateaued.

“I’ll often try something that ‘shocks’ my body. I got stuck at eleven-stone for months and I then tried a vegan diet and this helped push me through that,” she said.

Before and after. Louise Adshead / mediadrumworld.com

 

From that point, Louise has predominantly eaten a plant-based diet.

“Also learning that you’re not depriving yourself by not eating everything you want. I don’t do ‘cheat’ meals or count food as ‘treats’,” she said.

“If I want something I’ll have it, flex it into my day, not overeat at every meal and make sure my training is still in order.

Now. Louise Adshead / mediadrumworld.com

 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ll give myself a few ‘days off’ where I don’t track calories etc. but I’ll try to still stay fairly active.

“I get lots of positive comments, like; ‘you look like a different person’, ‘you can really see it in your face. Amazing’, or ‘you were beautiful before, but even more so now and you can tell that you’re happy’.

Now. Louise Adshead / mediadrumworld.com

 

“My advice is not to worry yourself with the big goal; just take it one meal at a time, that way you’ll soon conquer the day, then the week, then the month until you start seeing changes and hitting your goals.”

For more information visit: https://www.instagram.com/weightlosswithlou/