How military wife overcame comfort eating and weight gain during husbandโs deployment
Comfort eating is a very real thing.Weโve all been there, right?
As a military wife, withย her husband deployed for large periods of time, the temptation for Eloise to comfort eat was all tooย real.
After gaining 3.2st. living on a diet of takeaway and soft drink, this mum of two finally took back control of her health. By following the Healthy Mummyย 28 Day Weight Loss Challengesย she has overcome comfort eating and transformed her body from a size 14 to size 8.
โI absolutely hated myself before Healthy Mummy. I thought I looked gross. Iโm slowly learning to love my body and enjoy being able to look into the mirror or put on what I want, and love what I see!โ.
Eloise shares the highโs and lows of being a military wife and her weight loss journey below.
Comfort eating and weight gain
Mum of two, Eloise, is married to a member of the Navyย and together they have two beautiful children ages 4 and 2.
Having never struggled with her weight in her teens, she noticed things starting to take a dramatic turn when she met her husband.
โI was slim all the way up until I was 19 years old.ย It was a shock to the system when I put on over 3st. after meeting my husbandโ.ย
Throughout her life, eating healthy foods hadย never been a priority for Eloise.ย She saidย โI didnโt really care what went into my body. I would regularly drink and eat LOADS of junk! My favourite foods were McDonaldโ and Pizza. The real greasy stuff with large cokes!โ.
Itโs no surprise then, that her life long addiction to junk food only escalated once she met her husband. Home alone for long periods of time and raising two young children she saidย โI had a bad habit of comfort eating and relying on take away when I had a bad day or was feeling lonelyโ.
โMy husband and I actually live in separate states. He comes home to visit. He deploys for long periods of time and it’s tough.”
โThe struggles as a defence wife/family, is trying to teach my children that Daddy is coming home and his work just keeps him away for VERY long periods of timeโ.ย
She empathises with single mums.ย โSometimes it gets too much, trying to deal with everything aloneโ.
How Eloise went from a size 14 to size 8
Eloise has been following the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge and has dropped from a size 14 to a small size 8.
She meal preps, drinks 4 litres of water a day and goes to the gym 6 days a week.
Her go-to Healthy Mummy recipes are the Easy Chilli Con Carne and theย Mexican Lasagna.
Motivation
โWhat has kept me motivated and on track is a few things. ย The support within the groups is amazing and I love the fact itโs so uplifting knowing I have all these like minded ladies in my pocket if needed!โ.ย
She also credits her motivation toย knowing the confidence and happiness she getsย when she reaches her goals.
Advice to other mums
Eloise advises other mums toย โKeep it simple and donโt set goals too high. Work on little goals at a timeโ.
โI did what I could when I started my weight loss journey. Even choosing simple snacks, like a piece of fruit. I knew I wasnโt going to stick to it if it was too much workโ.
โAlways remember we are stronger then we give ourselves credit for and the best part is, we are all here to support you along the way!โ.
โIf I could go back 5 years ago and tell myself one thing, it would be to not be disheartened in your bad days. We all need down time! Slow and steady wins the race!โ.
Highlights since losing weight
Mental health is something that Eloiseย has always struggled with.ย โI tend to stress and over think a lot, I find exercising really helps with calming my mindโ.
โI find the healthier I am with eating, drinking and exercise the better parent I am for my children and it improves my mental healthโ.
โI absolutely hated myself before Healthy Mummy. I thought I looked gross. Iโm slowly learning to love my body, I love being able to look into the mirror or put on what I want and love what I see!โ
โI did get to flaunt the outfit of my dreams last November at my husbands ships ball! I had been eyeing it off for a little while and was absolutely stoked when I got the last one and it was a size 8!โย ย
Now Eloiseย finds she can run and play on the playground with her children, go to the beach and not sit on the sandย and feel miserable about herย body.
No longer is sheย obsessed by reaching a certain weight either. She saysย โMy non scale goals are to gain and build muscle. I also have intentions of getting my Personal Training certificate in a few years time when I feel my body and my kids are ready for me to go back into study/workโ.
The Healthy Mummy team are thrilled to see Eloiseโs transformation from the inside out. Fortunately for Eloise, she not only has a community of Healthy Mums to lean on for advice and encouragement when loneliness strikes, but also a very supportive husband, no matter where in the world he is based.
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