For our latest interview we spoke to Lucy Doyle. Lucy has not only gone through, what could be described as a very typical female journey of believing her youthful genetics would keep her trim for life, only to be crushed by the realization that life just doesn’t work like that, but her journey through added weight, self loathing and life threatening illness back to a strong, confident, enviable physique and mindset, has already inspired thousands of others to a better path.
Lucy has been kind enough to give us some insight to her change, what makes her tic and her plans for the future.
My name is Lucy and I am married with two children aged 7 and 8. So I was going to start from the beginning, but hey I don’t think I’m alone in saying I don’t even know when the beginning was, how it crept up on me but it sure as hell did!!
I grew up the tall lanky one in my family, always had it “easy” in terms of weight control- could eat what I like… My life was a whirlwind, met my wonderful husband when i was just 20 and we married and had children straight away. I was pretty cocky when I fell pregnant with my oldest, looking at other soon to be mums that were in their early 30s.. Knowing at the young age of 23 i’d just ping back into shape. Boy was I wrong!!! To cut a long story short, it went downhill from there, overeating during pregnancy, developing a life threatening condition, being hospitalised. Over the following 3 years I gained several stone and was stuck in the spiral of self hate.. binging… hating myself more… comfort eating even more and finally- accepting that i was a woman now and this is the size i was probably meant to be.
What do you think made you finally decide to make positive changes in regards to your health. Was it a gradual realisation or did you have a “lightning bolt” moment?
Due to a variety of reasons- obesity, lack of exercise and a very painful family trauma I became severely depressed and began to get weaker and weaker. I developed Chronic Fatigue and I felt like a ghost. My initial wake up call came when I fell asleep, only briefly, but it was enough.. in the park with my two toddlers playing. I finally hit rock bottom and felt angry that my children weren’t safe with their own mummy. The following year or so, in truth was a blur, I began dieting. In typical form, I wanted the weight gone immediately and i knew id stop at nothing so I began following all the fad diets. I was around 13.5 stone at 5ft 6… I did the cabbage soup diet, the Cambridge diet, Atkins, lighter life and when I had the strength I would just starve myself. At this point I felt very alone, very little support especially from other females. Had i of had that, I know that they would have helped me see I didn’t need to go to those extremes! I lost several stone.. great, awesome- or so I thought! Yet my body was as weak as ever, had to sleep so much and often my husband would have to take over… it got to the point where i could no longer do up my own buttons, my body was not functioning and it had eaten up every bit of muscle I had because of the starvation!!
So enter phase ll… 2008 2 years later I had lost 3 stone and thought I was pretty fly ha ha……. Then the disaster happened. We went clothes shopping and whilst in the Matalan changing room I caught a glimpse of myself OH MY GOD!!!!!!! I think at this stage I was about 9.5 stone which sounds ok right? But then why did i look so jelly like, no shape just a blob? From that moment on I vowed to address my damaging behaviour and promised to get myself AWESOME on the inside not just on the outside…. But where to begin..
When you started, did you feel it was hard to believe you could really do it, or was being fit and toned too hard to imagine back then.
I didn’t know where to go, who to speak to.. even worse family were saying I was being ridiculous, after 9.5 stone is hardly over weight!! But yet I knew something wasn’t right but couldn’t explain it.. I saw an advert for P90x and my husband and I bought it and began following the program, boy was that hard!! Then one day i was watching Peter Andre’s show and saw Nick Mitchell from UP Fitness- I knew instantly that i wanted to meet this man, knew he would have the answer.. and guess what he and his team did.
For the first time ever I had my body fat measured with callipers and finally, finally hard the explanation I needed as to why if my weight was low did I look and feel so god damn fat!!
I was thee “skinny fat person”.
Yup that’s right, not an ounce of muscle on me, just bone and fat. Why? Well because of all the crash dieting, my body desperately trying to protect me!! Ohhhhhh boy…. that is the very moment that my little me climbed up and lit the match to ignite the fire to change and in 1 year and 3 months I have NEVER looked back!!!!
Do you think that having a healthy body has helped improve your healthy mind?
I suffered from depression for many years, insomnia was my enemy and I spent so much time ruminating… Wish someone had told me to get off my arse and go for a walk!!! A healthy body and healthy mind is a marriage, you cannot have one without the other. I am grateful every day for the physical changes, but I am also so so happy that my mind is in such a healthy place and so much stronger to deal with things
You really like to encourage girls to support each other, can you tell me more about how you noticed how we treat each other, and share some of your thoughts on this?
It is something i am hugely passionate about. I never had this support when I was overweight, depressed and especially when i was supposedly at an ideal weight, but in a bad place. Sadly we live in a world where it becomes so easy to judge each other, sabotage each other’s attempts- not out of hate but out of our own longing to change. The fact of the matter is.. what means more to you, a man wolf whistling you as you walk down a street or the girl that comes up to you in the supermarket and says she thinks you look amazing? We love to have the approval of other women and we know oh so well how good it makes you feel when another girl offers you encouragement. It works both ways though Barbara, I am not talking about just slim women being kind to overweight women… slimmer women also have their demons, troubles and doubts.
Its ok to be envious, it’s ok to feel that knot in your belly when you see an attractive woman- it doesn’t make you a bad person!!! Hell I’m always saying to my hubby “oh god look at her legs, look at her arse” lol… but do girls every consider paying that person a compliment? Probably not because they think she doesn’t need it… bet she does!
My main focus is creating an environment where between girls we can have a safe haven and show some honesty, get real and say the things that they really think- without fear of being judged, demeaned or shamed. I believe that is where the core of what needs to be changed, lies. I had so many questions I wanted to ask but was always too afraid to ask them.. I want to change that.
How do you make time to work out and make good food choices, while being a busy mum?
I’m going to be controversial and say “I got selfish”
I can hear it now, the mums going well alright for her, but i cant….. YES you can. At one point I was working FOUR jobs, running a home with a hubby, 2 kids and 2 crazy dogs!! Its not easy at first but you get used to it. I know people may think but that’s cruel putting yourself before your kids, but in fact I am giving them something priceless… I strong, healthy and happy mummy. I cant make time for you, nor can your trainer. Sit down and plan your week, preparation is key. Let your kids go to an extra club once a week and use that time to train? Get up an hour earlier… Rope hubby in, let him cook twice a week while you nip off to the gym. Sunday afternoon make it family cook up time, get everyone involved and prepare meals for the week. The fact is, it IS possible and I am proof of that!
Have you found all your friends and family to be supportive of the new you, or have you been surprised at some of the reactions?
The straight answer is no.
This is why women need to support each other and create support networks. I very rarely meet anyone that have had supportive extended family ie parents and siblings. They do not tend to like change and the more you change, they feel that their failures are exposed. I am gradually learning not to seek approval from those areas, as it will usually lead to upset on my part. I do not however feel hateful towards those people, I try to consider the bigger picture and know that they too have their insecurities and that when they berate you, tell you you’ve gone too far, look disgusting- that really that is just a shadow of how unhappy they feel inside.
Accept it, move on and seek support networks in other women with similar goals, who won’t attempt to sabotage your efforts.
Would you ever compete?
Wow, up until now I would have said not in a million years; however I have just entered Miss Galaxy Universe. I have entered this competition because its rather different to other competitions. Really sense of sisterhood, everyone is appreciative and respectful of other peoples physical and emotionally journey and for me I hope it to become symbolic of how far I’ve come. I am not in it to win it, just loving being a part of something with other girls
What is your absolute favourite exercise?
Deadlifts. Not only does it work my weakest parts, but I love the stress it releases when you concentrate and focus… feel almost cleansed of your troubles after a set..
Any favourite recipes you can share with our readers?
Hmmmm well those who know me, know that im a sucker for wastage. I have a tight budget so hate to waste anything!! My favourite recipe is making my own nut milk (soak choice of nuts over night, rinse and then refill next day, blitz in a blender and then strain through a sieve) Rather than ditch the left over mush, I like to put it in a bowl and added blended dates and some coconut flour and then roll into balls, roll the balls in coconut and hey presto a delicious treat and more importantly no waste!
What are your personal goals for 2013?
My goals for 2013 are to follow on from my Precision Nutrition Certification.. nutrition is a never ending study. I hope to certify as a BioSignature Practitioner by the end of the year and I hope to develop my learning of the emotional and motivational side of nutrition and change. My personal goal is to hit sub 14% body fat, to fully deadlift at least twice my bodyweight (PB 108kg) and to be able to do chin ups in double figures!!
Interview by Barbara Graham through our Facebook resource – Beginners Guide to Getting Ripped – Check it out for more tips and information
You can follow Lucy’s continued journey, fitness and inspirational tips on her Facebook Page. Be sure to like it, share it and get involved.
Tags: added weight, attaining your goal, confident, enviable physique, health and fitness, inspiration, Interview, Lucy Doyle, self improvement, self loathing, toned female body, toned girl
