An Australian mother of two has opened up about how she lost 22kg in 20 months after slimming down with food and snacks while breastfeeding.
Vicky Brinks, from Perth, weighed 86kg after the birth of her second son, Elijah, and ate “everything” in the kitchen out of control.
The 27-year-old told FEMAIL she struggled with self-control and social eating, particularly during pregnancy, as feeling hungry made her feel nauseous.
“If there were snacks in the pantry or food in front of me, I would eat it all. I couldn’t control myself around food,” she said.
‘I gained weight rapidly during pregnancy and breastfeeding due to cravings and hunger-induced nausea, two aspects of my experience that I initially found incredibly difficult to control.
‘The only way to reduce the nausea was to eat something, which led to excessive weight gain.
‘This continued for the next 12 months of breastfeeding, where the additional caloric demands on the body to maintain a constant expression caused me to continue to turn to snacks.’
While Vicky never had binge eating disorder, she did have a negative relationship with food from an early age.
Vicky Brinks from Perth went from 86kg to 65kg in 20 months after two consecutive pregnancies
The 27-year-old told FEMAIL she struggled with self-control and social eating, particularly during pregnancy, as feeling hungry made her feel nauseous.
Since she was 12, Vicky has struggled with weight gain and has tried to keep it under control.
Vicky admitted that she has a “big sweet tooth” and would snack on biscuits, chocolate, candy and sweets after a “big dinner”.
“I love food, so if I was bored at home, I would have a snack. I would always have a full plate for dinner and eat the whole thing until I was finished. I never listened to my body and ate a lot of carbs, bread and pasta,” she said.
“I’m not a big fan of vegetables, but I always had a salad as a side.”
She would start her day with a bowl of cereal, then slices of toast for lunch, and not eat any protein during the day.
“If there were snacks in the pantry or food in front of me, I would eat them all. I couldn’t control myself around food,” she said. Vicky’s salvation was the 1:1 Diet for six months, which helped her get rid of unwanted fat over time and weigh 65 kg.
When he was at his heaviest, he found it difficult to look in the mirror and go out with friends.
“I hated looking in the mirror and seeing how much weight I had gained. I still looked pregnant even when I wasn’t,” she said.
The young mother said she hated drawing attention to herself and did not want to highlight her weight gain.
“I still went out with friends, but I never felt confident wearing fancy clothes, so I would wear T-shirts and baggy pants. If people left food on their plates, I would eat the leftovers,” she said.
Before having children, Vicky tried to lose weight by going to the gym, but “it didn’t make any difference” because she kept eating too much food.
Giving birth twice in a short period of time meant that I needed to consume more calories to be able to breastfeed.
According Health line, Mothers need to consume around 500 extra calories a day to provide their babies with everything they need to grow healthily, which can take a toll on the body and mind.
With so much energy demanded from the mother, breastfeeding moms can feel exhausted and hungry, with snack cravings caused by a lack of protein, vitamins and carbohydrates that increase their appetite to the max.
Now that she’s expecting her third child, she feels equipped with the right knowledge to handle any post-pregnancy weight gain.
Vicky’s salvation was the 1:1 Diet for six months, which helped her eliminate unwanted fat over time and weigh 65 kg.
The program provided her with porridge, soup and shakes as meal replacements, and a dinner guide. She ate no more than 800 calories a day and the weight “dropped off.”
For dinner, I would eat a small portion of meat with vegetables, such as chicken or beef, salad and potatoes.
She quickly began to lose 1 kg in a week and after a month she noticed a difference.
During her weight loss journey, she had a coach who made sure she stayed on track.
Vicky stressed the importance of responsibility and support from her husband, who also followed the diet.
Now that she’s expecting her third child, she feels equipped with the right knowledge to handle any post-pregnancy weight gain.
Reflecting on her experience with postpartum weight loss, she learned that it is a gradual journey that requires patience and self-compassion.
“It may seem daunting at first, but even the smallest changes can have a big impact on yourself and your relationship with your body and your newborn,” she said.
‘I saw the biggest changes by implementing the healthy habits I learned while doing the 1:1 Diet, including eating tasty, high-protein, low-fat foods and finding time for gentle exercise.
‘Balancing my wellbeing with the demands of new motherhood was key, and celebrating small victories with a personal coach along the way made the process more rewarding.’
