When working hard to lose weight, the changes can be so gradual that you hardly notice them until you reach a significant milestone.
For Cork-based chef Trisha Lewis, 100lbs of butter was a fitting and moving way of marking her 100lbs weight loss.
Trisha, who is originally from Limerick, touched many with her relatable story when she appeared on The Late Late Show in January. Now, two months later and with even more weight lost, Trisha shared an emotional and motivating post to mark her 31st birthday.
Writing on her Instagram account, @trishas.transformation - where she has gained over 49,000 followers - Trisha posted two side-by-side photos taken on her 30th and 31st birthdays, eloquently summed up her incredible transformation, on the inside as well as the outside.
"Yes my clothes fit better now, my stomach doesn’t hang and rest on my thighs, my arms don’t have sores, my neck isn’t stuffed in my shoulders, my hair is healthier, my nails are done but the main difference I feel is inside my head and knowing I’m healthier.
"It’s clearer now. No one is in there thinking negatively, no one Is telling me I’m gross. I can see the wood from the trees. I can smile without feeling panic straight away that I am obese. I can walk down the street & not worry about people staring at me."
Sharing some of the concerns that many people feel, she added "I can go to a restaurant and sit where I like. I can shop & pick up colour instead of big and black."
Feeling healthier is just as important to Trisha as feeling more confident in person, as she says "I can walk up stairs without feeling faint, I can pick up a fork if I drop it without getting dizzy, I can lie on my back & not feel like I’m suffocating".
Her post is frank and honest, shedding insight into how difficult it was for her to do certain everyday actions that many people take for granted: "I can fit in my shower & bend down & wash my feet. I can tie my bra & not even think of it. I can wear heels. My feet aren’t swollen anymore. I’m not always sweating."
What shines through most, however, is Trisha's confidence and contentedness with herself: "If I wished for a new life I would have wished for what I have now. I was trapped for too many years.
"I’ve no birthday photos of the last few years as I didn’t care. It was always a crap reminder that another year had passed & I was just fatter."
"I always assumed I would have a huge 30th. Truth of that photo on the left I was at my birthday lunch crippled in anxiety. Terrified friends would be there as a surprise & they would see how fat I was."
She explains that on her 30th birthday she had lost 16lbs but still didn't share how much she was struggling with her family. "Now in hindsight, I should have as they knew I was suffering. They were trying their best to carry me along", she writes.
"Everyone just wants you to be happy & healthy. Stop being ashamed of the scales. It’s like your salary. A taboo subject that no one speaks of. Just move on. Weight is there to be gained and to be lost. You’ve done nothing wrong. My only regret is I didn’t take my head outta the sand sooner & beat the bulge."
