Yahoo Finance New mum whose weight soared in pregnancy dropped five stone – from 14st 7lb to 9st 5lb – after discovering an at home workout app
A new mum whose weight soared during pregnancy, only for lockdown to stop her from working it off in the gym, dropped five stone – plummeting from 14st 7lb to 9st 5lb – after discovering an at-home workout app.
Managing director Jenny Weiner, 32, says her early days as a mum were blighted by her low self-esteem because of her weight, after giving birth to Jaxon, now one, on September 13, 2020, at Watford General Hospital in Hertfordshire.
But her life and body were transformed after discovering an app that helped her to work out at home and saw her dropping four dress sizes from a 14 to a size six in just six months, by exercising between feeds and nappy changes.
Jenny, who lives in Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire, with her husband, David, 38, a personal trainer and their son, said: “I was desperate to slim down once I’d had Jaxon.
“I knew I would put on weight while pregnant, but I hadn’t realised just how much and it wasn’t only on my stomach, it was all over.
“I was struggling mentally after giving birth because I was so unhappy with how I looked.”
She added: “I really wanted to be at the gym, but there was no time to leave the house and, due to the second lockdown, I couldn’t even go if I wanted to.”
Horrified by her weight after giving birth, she was determined to get her figure back.
She said: “I couldn’t believe I’d put on five stone while I was pregnant.”
Breakfast – nothing
Lunch – Pret a Manager Parma ham baguette
Dinner – marinated steak or lamb with potatoes and vegetables
She added: “I guess it was a combination of eating whatever I wanted to and not doing as much exercise, but when I gave birth in September 2020, I thought it’d drop off and it didn’t.”
While she lost 7lb quite quickly after Jaxon’s birth, taking her down to 14st 7lb, losing any more was a struggle.
And at 5ft 6in, this weight meant her body mass index (BMI) used to gauge a healthy weight, was 32.6, compared to the NHS healthy range of 18.5 to 24.9.
She said: “I’ve always been a naturally big girl. I was very chunky when I was younger and I got bullied at school for it.
“I accepted the fact that I would gain weight during pregnancy because my body was doing what it needed to grow my baby.
“But, once I’d given birth, all I wanted was to slim down.”
She added: “For the first six weeks after the birth, I couldn’t exercise because I was recovering, so it was November 2020 by the time I started thinking about being more active.”
With gyms closed due to lockdown, Jenny struggled to find a way to exercise while caring for her baby.
She said: “My husband is a personal trainer and he suggested looking at different apps I could try. I found Freeletics, which had 15-minute HIIT training sessions.”
She added: “I didn’t think much would come of it at first, but I found them to be so handy.
“Whenever I had a spare 10 or 15 minutes in the day, I would do one of the workouts.
“It didn’t seem like I was doing much, because it was such a short amount of time, but the weight started to drop off pretty quickly.”
Breakfast – porridge and banana
Lunch – tuna salad
Dinner – microwave spaghetti Bolognese
To Jenny’s surprise, she lost 4st within four months of using the app.
She said: “I hit my goal weight of 9st 5lb by the start of April, which was just in time for my birthday.
“I was making small changes every day, which I didn’t notice until I weighed myself and realised I was dropping in weight.”
She added: “After not being able to do any exercise other than going for a walk with the pram, it was so nice to be able to work out properly.”
But Jenny admits that the weight loss – which has taken her BMI to a healthy 21 – was not solely down to exercise, as she started eating healthier too.
“At the same time as I started using the app, I also switched up my diet because, with weight loss, it’s 30 per cent exercise and 70 per cent diet,” she said.”
She added: “I started eating at set times and cut back on what I was consuming. I still had the odd cheat day though and enjoyed my weekends, otherwise I would have never kept to it.
“Before having Jaxon, I would eat later in the day. I would skip breakfast and eat for the first time of the day at lunch.
“Then my husband would come home from work at 8pm and cook us massive meals late at night.”
She added: “Now, my eating schedule is a lot different and I always make sure to eat a substantial and healthy breakfast to start my day.”
Jenny has maintained her new lean weight and is proudly showing off her slender, toned curves in a size six.
She said: “The key to maintaining weight loss is balance. You’ve got to enjoy yourself and allow yourself treats but you also have to take care of your body, which is why Freeletics was so great.”
She added: “You don’t want to diet and exercise excessively because that can quite damaging too.
“I still indulge when I want to but I’m also loving my new body.
“I’m better shape now than I was pre-pregnancy and I feel fantastic.”
For more information, visit: www.freeletics.com
