By Liana Jacob
MEET the binge-eating mum who has tipped the scales in her favour by shedding a third of her weight in just a year following an ominous ultrasound scan.
During her pregnancy three years ago, home day care owner Mandy Osmack, 24, from Winnipeg Manitoba, Canada, took “eating for two” too far and gained over five and a half stone to reach an unhealthy 17st 12lbs. After her pregnancy, she was diagnosed with having developed a fatty liver.
She indulged in comfort food such as, pancakes, waffles, bagels and muffins, until she struggled to find clothes that fit her. This extreme over-eating during her pregnancy led her to put on nearly six-stone.
But despite running her own full-time day care centre, coaching her daughter’s football team twice a week and chaperoning her to her gymnastics class, Mandy persistence paid off.
She ended up reducing her dress size from 18 to 10, and now weighs 12st 2lbs.
“For some reason, I felt that because I was pregnant, it gave me the right to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted,” said Mandy.
“I felt sick, physically and mentally. I would wake up every morning, dreading, getting out of bed because of my energy was low and the fact that I knew I’d have to go searching through my closet looking for an outfit to squeeze into.”
In addition to feeling sick every day, she began to experience extreme stomach pains so bad that she found it difficult to sleep, so she decided to do something about it.
“I finally made a doctor’s appointment and was sent to the hospital for a ultrasound on my stomach.
“The results came back that I had a “fatty” enlarged liver that was from my bad eating habits, lack of exercise & alcohol consumption.
“I knew right then that I had to change my lifestyle as I would just continue to get more and more sick.”
Acute fatty livers of pregnancy can cause babies to be premature, possible admittance to intensive care and higher infant and mother mortality.
Despite the epiphany that she had to change her lifestyle, she still found it difficult to make the drastic change, until she came across a quote that changed her perception of life.
“I say to myself every single day, “Taking care of yourself is part of taking care of your children,” Mandy said.
“That quote opened my eyes and made me realise that taking care of myself is not selfish, it will actually make me become an even better mum to my daughter.”
“I went from one extreme to another, I went from eating McDonalds and greasy fast food every single day for breakfast, lunch and dinner to eating healthy clean meals.”
After adding exercise to her busy regime and making the effort to cook healthy meals daily, Mandy has transformed her life.
“I feel like a whole new person and I’ve gained back a confidence that I never knew I could, but most importantly, I feel happy, healthy and strong,” she said.
“I can play and run with my daughter. I even signed up to be my daughter’s football team coach, which is something I never would have been able to do a couple of years ago because of my health.”
The new diet and exercise makeover meant that she had to cut out all her bad habits like daily trips to fast-food restaurants, alcohol and soft drinks.
Mandy has now discovered the secret of balancing a healthy lifestyle with being a full-time mother which for her was the hardest part.
“I had to learn to work in a healthy diet and exercise to my already busy-filled days. I now have time slots, so I slip in my meal prepping and grocery shopping for the week,” she said.
“My exercising is done whenever I get a free chance throughout the day. That has been the hardest part; making time and making sure I get it done every day with no excuses.”
She’s now learned to cook healthy meals, lives off lemon water and green tea and exercises every day.
As a result of her new transformation she’s received many positive comments from those who know her, including her family and friends who constantly ask her for advice on how she’s done it.
“I would say to find something that motivates you to want to lose weight. Motivation is huge. That’s where my Instagram fitness page came in,” Mandy said.
“I signed up to hold myself accountable so that I could document all my ups and downs in this journey.
“If there’s a day I want to quit and give in, I just remember that I have people now looking up to me and I have to set an example for them and most importantly my family and my daughter.
“Find that motivation so that you wake up every morning ready to conquer the day and ready to be the best version of yourself.”
Mandy is now engaged to her boyfriend and is getting married on October 14, 2017.
For more information see: https://www.instagram.com/mandys.fitness/
