Amanda Place is a fitness instructor and health coach who has managed to lose 3.5st and totally transform her body - and life.
She spoke exclusively to GB News about the eight ways she slimmed down and got healthy, sharing that water made a "real difference"'.
Amanda was a competitive dancer as a child but quickly put on weight at university when she fell into the habit of going out for drinks and following this up with a late-night pizza.
She got a job as a fitness instructor but her part-time work in a bar escalated her drinking and Amanda gradually put on more and more weight.
Amanda Place lost 3.5st in one year
Sculptrition
She finally decided that enough was enough and she promised herself she was going to make a change.
Consequently, Amanda lost 3.5st in just one year by "making healthier eating choices and learning what type of exercise I loved doing".
During her transformation, Amanda learned to "never eliminate anything completely". She said: "Many popular diets advertise cutting things out - at least in small portions - like carbs or sugar. When we eliminate things from our diet, it's almost guaranteed that you will crave them more. In my experience, I'd binge the very thing that I told myself I couldn't have.
"Instead of eliminating things from your life, the practice of moderation and portion control is a much safer alternative. It's a practice that truly helped me along my journey. Instead of eliminating my favourite ice cream completely, for example, I let myself have mini cups after every dinner. By embracing the foods that made me happy in smart amounts, I was able to enjoy the process without feeling like I was missing out."
During her impressive weight loss, water became Amanda's "best friend", even though drinking it didn't come naturally to her.
She admitted: "I've never been 'good' at drinking water. I like the taste of it but making sure to get enough always felt like a total struggle. However, water accounts for up to 60 per cent of our total body weight and is essential to every cell.
"When I made getting healthier a priority, I started downing at least six glasses each day. With that, I started to notice a real difference. I felt better, my skin looked better, and I performed well when it came to my regular workouts, staving off that ever-annoying headache that likely was a result of previous dehydration."
While a healthy diet is essential, keeping active is also key when it comes to effective weight loss. Amanda loved the opportunity to mix up her routine as often as she wanted. She said: "There was no reason to stick with something that didn't bring me joy or light me up.
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'Today, movement is my medicine, enabling me to better show up both personally and professionally'
Sculptrition
"By diversifying my go-to sweat method I had a lot more fun, and even made some great friends along the way. Plus, research shows that adding variety to an exercise program can improve adherence."
Another way Amanda saw results was by rewarding herself for her small wins, for example by buying herself a new gym kit when she had stuck to a goal for two weeks.
She also learnt not to compare herself to others, or be too hard on herself when she experienced inevitable slip-ups in her journey.
Amanda's journey taught her a lot about herself and she now uses what she has learned to inspire others, as an instructor at Sculptrition.
She said: "Today, movement is my medicine, enabling me to better show up both personally and professionally.
"Now an award-winning fitness instructor, certified personal trainer and health coach, and entrepreneur with my own wellness business, I've learned a handful of lessons along my journey that empower me to give back to others and help them determine what wellness looks like for them."
