In July of 2016, Cicily Goodwin, 23 weighed in at 282 pounds.
The Mom-of-two, from New South Wales, had been overweight for a long time and had just ‘stopped caring’ about eating well or exercising.
However, after she came across a weight loss group online, Cicily decided to change her lifestyle.
Now, over a year later, she has shed an incredible 51 kilograms and is the lightest she’s been since she was 13 years old!
Cicily said that she first came across The Healthy Mummy group while she was pregnant and in the space of her pregnancy, had seen women transform their bodies and lifestyles for the better.
Image credit: daily mail
‘A friend added me to the online group and I couldn’t believe it because for me because I had always been overweight it felt impossible to me that I’d ever lose it,’ Cicily, said.
‘It got really bad once I moved out of home because I grew up in such a healthy household. Once I left I just went crazy because I didn’t need to hide away junk food anymore.
‘It got to a point where I became addicted to fast food and every day I was eating takeaway for multiple meals – things like KFC and McDonald’s – and massive amounts of soft drink.
‘I was also drinking up to 10 coffees per day and eating a lot of food at a time; even if it wasn’t junk I would pile my plate up and eat until I was completely, uncomfortably full.’
Cicily said she decided to try out the Healthy Mummy after giving birth as she felt as though the way she looked and felt didn’t represent the person she truly was.
‘I started out by buying some smoothie mix and started having those twice a day with fruit,’ Cicily said.
‘I didn’t rush things, I was still enjoying chocolate every now and then, but I cut out all soft drinks and started to follow their meal plans.’
Image credit: daily mail
Cicily also began walking and, once she was fully recovered from pregnancy, she started doing 28-day challenges involving strength and body weight exercises – in her living room.
The Mom of two was cooking enjoyable meals which included healthy versions of chicken parmigiana, pizza and stirfry.
Image credit: daily mail
‘I was really learning so much about food and how it can be enjoyable and healthy. I never went overboard I just chose healthy and easy recipes and when I exercised I would pop the kids in a pram and go for a walk,’ she said.
‘I also did my home exercise after I popped the kids in bed at night time and spent about 45 minutes to an hour doing it, it’s so simple. No gym required.’
Cicily, who lost the first 30 kilograms with a healthy diet alone, said it took her a while to truly see how far she had come with her weight loss as she had spent so long being unhappy with herself.
‘I was in such denial before I lost weight and was blaming everyone else in my life for my problems – I was so unhappy with myself and just miserable,’ she said.
‘But in the past four months everything has changed and my energy levels, fitness and confidence are all so much higher than ever before. I can run around with my kids properly now and not get tired.
‘I haven’t been 77 kilograms since I was in year seven at school so since that time I was just building up a barrier and pretending to be confident and tough even though I was self-conscious.’
Image credit: daily mail
Cicily says that she hopes other Moms can see that they don’t need to be restrictive or join a gym to see results.
‘People think you need to do drastic things like that but I have found this to be so much more realistic and I can do it all at home,‘ Cicily said.
‘I am now a better version of who I was – that person wasn’t me it was a shadow of who I really was. I know I will never go back there.
‘I am normal now and can do normal things and I am so happy. It is a challenge at first but it’s so worth it and if you mess up just start again, do the best you can, when you can and you won’t regret it.’