11 March 2024 , 11:58
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A nurse swapped her XL sized scrubs for a small after shredding seven stone by walking 10,000 steps a day.
Samantha Abreu, 25, says she has always struggled with her weight and weighed 18st 1lb and was a size 22 at her heaviest. She would often binge eat filling up on toast and cereal after dinners and hated exercise. Samantha struggled to get through her 10 hour nursing shifts due to exhaustion.
She worried she would end up like some of the elderly patients she saw who couldn't get up after a fall. During lockdown she started going for daily walks for her mental health and realised the exercise was a "blessing" for her mindset and body. Slowly she started intuitively eating, decreasing her portions and dropped 7st 6lbs in a year.
Samantha Abreu, 25, before and after losing seven stone (SWNS)Now a healthy 10st 9lbs and a size eight Samantha walks 10,000 steps a day, goes to the gym four days a week and feels "safe" in her body. Samantha, a nurse, from Melbourne, Australia, said: "I worried about being old and not being able to get up after a fall. "Growing up I always felt insecure. I couldn't envision a future for myself. As I lost weight I still found myself reaching for XL scrubs but they started to feel too baggy and would get in the way.
"Now I feel comfortable and safe in my body. Before being a nurse I was an assistant so it's very physically demanding. It was very exhausting. It's crazy half of these things don't tire me like they used to." Growing up Samantha was always overweight and would "comfort eat".
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She said: "I'd have urges to eat so much to the point of being uncomfortable. After a family dinner I'd have a huge bowel of cereal and slices of toast." She would secretly order and eat takeaways from Uber Eats before her parents got home from work and would never exercise.
A nurse has swapped her XL sized scrubs for a small (SWNS)But when the lockdown hit, Samantha found herself going for daily walks for her mental health and enjoying exercise. She said: "As a child I did not like movement. I'd cry if we went on a walk. Now movement makes me feel at peace. I kept implementing healthy habits every day."
At the start of 2023, Samantha increased her efforts to move her body more and began to cut down her calories. She hasn't made a massive difference to her diet but has cut down her portion sizes. Samantha said: "I now view food as fuel. I don't have feelings with food."
She doesn't limit herself from eating any cravings but rather than having a pizza she will make a wrap pizza as a healthier version. Now she has fallen love with exercise and strength training. She gets up to go the gym four days a week, hits 10,000 steps or more a day and runs 5k a week.
Samantha now feels totally different (Samantha Abreu/SWNS)Samantha said: "I move intuitively and it's what works for me. It's completely changed my life. It's lovely looking stronger. It makes me feel safe in my body. I hope other people can see themselves in me. If I can help person and realise they can slowly start implementing change that's all I want."
Before weight: 18st 1lbs
Before size: 22/ 24
Diet before
Breakfast: Bowl of cereal/ toast
Lunch: Sandwich/ dinner leftovers
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Dinner: Roast
Snacks: Cereal, toast, takeaways
Now weight: 10st 9lbs
Now size: 8/10
Diet after
Breakfast: Oats with fruit
Lunch: Greek chicken pasta
Dinner: Chicken wrap pizza