Olivia Malone had tried every fad diet under the sun, but it wasn’t until she learned about nutrition and made some simple, yet smart, trade-offs that she started losing the weight she had gained in college.
When Olivia Malone, from Irlam, Salford, went to college, she developed unhealthy eating habits. During her undergraduate days at Huddersfield and postgraduate at Salford, she nibbled on lunchtime meal deals and ordered takeout in the evenings before spending drunken evenings with her friends.
After her friend bought her some scales, she was shocked to find herself weighing 7kg and decided to make some changes to be healthier.
The 25-year-old decided to ditch fad diets and learn about nutrition after being inspired by workouts she saw on Instagram. With a few simple but clever swaps, she had an incredible transformation, going from a size 24 to a size 10, and losing 8 stones.
Olivia decided to make the switch during the first Covid lockdown of 2020. Speaking to Manchester Evening News, she said: “During the first lockdown, I got a job that required me to be active, so I thought I might as well start trying to be healthier.
“My friend had lost a stone, and she bought me some scales and sent them home. I had no idea what my weight was, until then I had no idea, I just knew that I was very overweight – but I was amazed to see that I weighed 17 stones and 7 pounds.
“Since high school I’ve followed all the fad diets but never stuck to them. I was always fat as a young girl but when I went to college it got even worse.
“I wasn’t cooking properly, it was a case of noodles, turkey dinosaurs, and smiley faces. It was pure laziness, and it took its toll.”
For lunch, she would buy meal deals, opting for sandwiches, crisps and soft drinks, then indulge in takeout with her pals in the evening. She continued: “We would order takeout from the local pizzeria or Chinese – that’s exactly what we would do at university, we would cry we had no money but then we would buy takeout.
“But it was like I was gaining weight. We also went out three or four nights a week and I drank anything and everything, like you do in college.”
But things changed drastically when she learned about nutrition, so she could know exactly what her body needed in terms of calories and nutrients each day. By simply replicating what she enjoyed with home cooking and calorie swapping, as well as exercise, she was able to lose weight.
Olivia explained: “I decided to educate myself properly, I taught myself nutrition. I followed an exercise influencer on Instagram called Courtney Black, followed her religiously for her workouts, and then it was about teaching me a healthy relationship with food.
“I would switch things up for less calories. By counting the calories I would find out what my calories needed to be and stick to it religiously, I was so strict in the beginning and in the beginning I was losing a stone a month for the first three to four months.”
Another game-changer was swapping takeout for “fakeaways” – healthy versions of those high-calorie meals she’d have in college. For example, she will create a chicken burger using mixed chicken breast or salt and pepper chips in the air fryer.
She explained: “I make fakeaways and honestly they taste a lot nicer because it’s fresher and I made it all myself.
“I really don’t miss take-out food at all because I know I can make it taste just as good.”
After losing weight, Olivia noticed an increase in energy levels and even decided to do the Couch to 5K app, which is an NHS running plan for beginners. At first, Olivia couldn’t even run at all, but she managed to increase her stamina but slowly.
Oliva said: “Now I have just finished my first half marathon this year – in Manchester – which I did in two and a half hours. I have now applied to do my first marathon in Barcelona next year.
“I also go to the gym, I make it a point to go to the gym five nights a week, sometimes it’s for running or weight training or other types of cardio.”
Olivia now works in an office, but has incorporated movement into her daily routine. Instead of just sitting there scrolling through social media, she mostly takes 30-minute walks.
Her family and friends are so proud of her transformation, and when she shares old photos on social media, many say they don’t even remember her before her health and fitness transformation.
Olivia said: “My mum is my biggest fan, she says how proud she is of me. But it’s good that friends now also ask me for advice on what to eat and how to run, I would like to inspire others.”
Do you have a story to share? You can email ariane.sohrabishiraz@reachplc.co.uk
