Rachael Sacerdoti, 43, is CEO and lives in London
I had always struggled with weight. As a child, I was always the “biggest”, but after my third child, I weighed just 90 kilos (more than 14 stones). I struggled to get up from the couch, my back hurt and I had anxiety and depression. I wanted to change, but I didn’t know how.
On vacation with my brother in September 2017, he saw me eating three popsicles in an hour and asked what was going on. He told me that he didn’t have to make a big change all at once, he just needed to start walking a little more. I realized that he was absolutely right; I had to take responsibility.
It was pretty hard to even walk around the block, but after a few weeks, I made progress and started walking to the park. Then I added some exercises at home, doing them in my room because I was too shy for even my family to see me working out. After a couple of months, I joined a gym and started weight training.
I also changed my diet, focusing on increasing my protein and vegetable intake. At first, I cut out all carbs, but as I read more about nutrition, I realized that slow-release carbs like brown rice or sweet potatoes were good for me because they fill you up and give you the energy you need . especially as a busy mom.
The weight began to drop; In six months I lost about 25 kilos (almost four stones) and it was very motivating. But it wasn’t just about the number on the scale, I loved seeing myself stronger, both physically, in terms of doing progressively more exercises, like sit-ups, and mentally. My depression and anxieties decreased.
People really started noticing a change in me and around the first lockdown, when a lot of people started struggling with their own weight, some friends asked me to help them. I created a WhatsApp group and sent them exercises to do and food suggestions to eat. Word of mouth grew and I decided to turn my weight loss program into a real business, it’s that simple. Not even two years have passed and we have helped about 600 women.
I am so proud of how far I have come, both personally and helping other women. I am now someone who is educated about diet and fitness and I can pass that on to my kids; that’s knowledge I never had as a child.
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