A mum-of-three has revealed how she successfully shed 30kg in just six months by making simple changes to her lifestyle, including 20-minute workouts from the comfort of her own bedroom.
After long struggling with her self-esteem, London-based stay-at-home mum Rachael Sacerdoti, 44, decided enough was enough and began her weight loss journey after years of feeling "lost" and "extremely bad food habits".
The mum had weighed around 90kg nine months after giving birth to her youngest daughter, the Daily Mail reports, and her feet would often swell when she walked.
Small adjustments to her day-to-day lifestyle included 10-minute walks around the block, exercising with weights on the bedroom floor, and slowly altering her diet by sticking to a nutritious meal plan.
"I've really struggled with food my whole life, I had no education about what balanced meals were or how to cook for myself," Sacerdoti told the Daily Mail. "None of my meals had protein, and I was constantly snacking on white bread, jam, and fried foods."
Sacerdoti had attempted to lose weight several times in the past, but became discouraged each time after not seeing immediate results. But this time was different, she said: although the progress was still "really slow", she focused on building a sustainable routine she enjoyed and eventually, she began noticing changes.
Part of that routine was starting to exercise in her bedroom, which she called her "safe space", and working out what diet and exercises worked best for her, on her own - without the help of a personal trainer or nutritionist.
"I fell in love with the routine and eating well - I lost 30kg in about six months and I loved the way I looked," Sacerdoti told the outlet. "My confidence came back, I developed a real sense of myself and what I wanted out of my life."
She admitted she is still in disbelief that simply dedicating "less than an hour" of the day to herself has "completely changed" not only her life for the better, but the lives of her kids. Since turning over a new leaf, Sacerdoti said her family now enjoys a protein-rich diet that mainly consists of homemade, healthy meals, after once heavily relying on processed or frozen foods - but you'll still always find chocolate in their kitchen.
"I want my kids to know about nutrition and balance… they're allowed to eat everything in moderation. I'd never dream of taking chocolates away from them," she added.
Some of the simple changes Sacerdoti made to her diet included swapping white carbs like white bread, rice and potatoes for quinoa, brown rice, sweet potatoes and wholemeal bread. She also stopped buying wheat flour pasta and began switching to chickpea and lentil varieties, as well as changing up her protein sources: red meat was replaced with fish and white meats such as chicken and turkey, with cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, eggs and tofu also becoming staples. She also made an effort to incorporate more leafy greens into each of her meals, she added.
After witnessing her hard work and incredible transformation, Sacerdoti's friends and family soon started asking her for advice. Having reached the majority of her goals by early 2020, she decided to spend the first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic helping others with their diet and fitness, sharing routines that could be done from the comfort of their own home amid the closure of gyms and other recreational facilities.
"My friends were really concerned about the gyms closing and didn't know how they'd be able to stay on top of their routines - this is when they asked me to help them and show them how I changed my figure."
A small group chat between her and her friends soon expanded through word of mouth, and with about 20 clients under her belt, Sacerdoti created a business plan and launched her own wellness programme, It's So Simple. She now has over 17,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares healthy recipes and at-home workout ideas.
"It's truly been the most gratifying thing," she added.
A typical date on her plate
Breakfast (10am): Protein oats with cottage cheese and peanut butter
Lunch (12:30pm): Bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese or egg salad
Snack (4pm): Greek yoghurt with fruit
Dinner (7pm): Chicken breast with vegetables and brown rice.
