By Ben Wheeler
MEET the sexy nurse who was so naturally skinny that she was regularly teased about having an eating disorder in school but has since put on more than two-stone after joining the gym to transform her physique.
Registered nurse Sheena Wilkins, 31, from Denver, Colorado, USA, says she was always naturally skinny and because of this would receive cruel comments in the school corridor, even from a well-meaning guidance counsellor.
Sheena finally decided to take control of her lifestyle after years of being unhappy with herself and wanting to improve her health after losing both her mother and aunt to colon cancer when they were in their forties.
“I always received comments about my weight. In high school, my guidance counsellor stopped in the busy hallway and questioned me about having an eating disorder in front of everyone,” she said.
“People made jokes if I went to use the bathroom after lunch, saying I was going to throw up. They would tell me to eat a hamburger, and when I said I could probably eat more than they do, they said it was because I probably just threw it up.
“I was always worried about people assuming I had an eating disorder when I never actually did. I started to feel worse and worse about my size as I approached college, and everyone said I still looked like I was 15.
“When I was a waitress, I had a customer berate me for my size the entire time she was in the restaurant. She was overweight and that bothered me.
“How is it okay to berate someone just because they’re the other end of the spectrum? It wouldn’t have been okay for me to berate her for being overweight!”
Sheena went on to describe the reasons for her petite frame and expanded on her reasons for wanting to become healthier.
“I was always naturally small. I ate whatever I wanted and never gained weight due to my high metabolism. When I was young I just assumed I’d be that way until I got older,” she said.
“I was uncomfortable with how small I was. I would never wear shorts, skirts or sundresses out in public and hated wearing a swimsuit, I’d immediately cover up when I got out the water.
“I decided to make a lot of changes after being unhappy with myself for so long. I was about 5’7 and barely 100 pounds, I wore size zero or one jeans if I was lucky, my legs were nothing more than sticks.
“I also wanted to be healthier, as my mother and aunt had passed from colon cancer in their forties and exercise and diet changes could hopefully prevent me from going down that road.”
Sheena then explained how she has gone about her impressive weight gain that has seen her figure go from tiny to toned.
“I have always been a bit shy and nerdy, which made the beginning of my fitness journey a little more difficult, as stepping out into the gym with my body insecurities gave me a lot of anxiety. But I overcame it and am happy I did it,” she said.
“I started to improve my eating habits, cutting down on junk food and sodas and replacing them with nutritious alternatives.
“At first, I was intimidated by the weight area of the gym, and I would spend an hour on cardio equipment. Of course, I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted to see.
“When my ex helped introduce me to the weights I grew in confidence and started to see changes by weightlifting four to five days per week.
“I now go to the gym five or six days, I train legs three times and do various upper body weight training on rotation, one day of back and biceps and one day of shoulders, triceps and chest.
“I very rarely do cardio, and when I do it is HIIT cardio, so I don’t have to spend as much time on it and see quick results.
“I have also increased my caloric intake to 2300 per day, although as a registered nurse it can be hard making time during my shifts to get a decent lunch, so I started meal prepping which has helped tremendously.
“I usually try to prep chicken, rice and broccoli quite often and increase my carb intake on leg days, as it contributes to the muscles absorbing more of the protein I intake.”
Finally, Sheena spoke about how she feels about herself now compared to before and gave her advice to anyone looking to start their own fitness journey.
“I am very happy. It was strange going from size zero to size five, and it kind of overwhelmed me even though it was what I really wanted,” she said.
“I have managed to grow a booty, have more energy and will actually wear shorts out in public now. Everyone is amazed by my transformation, they all want to know my secret, but there isn’t one. It is about putting in the work.
“I’d advise anyone to not give up, it is a long process. When you don’t think you can do it anymore, keep pushing.
“Take plenty of pictures along the way so you can visualise the progress for motivation. You won’t be able to see the difference looking in the mirror at first which can be discouraging, and picture help prevent this.
“Be healthy about your journey, avoid fad dieting and overtraining your body as rest days are an integral part of your exercise regimen.
“Start slow and make small, sustainable changes with your diet and exercise, and most of all have fun!”
