A fitness studio owner who was told she may face life in a wheelchair due to her size has shed an incredible nine stone.
Sylwia Sokolowska, 44, was horrified when she stepped on the scales in 2019 to discover her weight had ballooned to 22st.
The entrepreneur, who owns three Studio Figura fitness studios, had also been warned by a doctor that she could end up needing a wheelchair if she didn't shape up.
So Sylwia, from Bracknell in Berkshire, started making use of her own facilities four times a week to get active, while making changes to her diet too.
She said: "I opened my first studio branch five years ago in Poland. Then, four and half years ago, I opened another one, followed by a third, this time in London, two and a half years ago.
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"Running the business, I saw so many people achieving their fitness goals, but I was so busy making sure everything was a success for my clients that I forgot to focus on myself, too."
She added she also avoided photos that showed her whole body.
"I hated taking photos. If I had to, I would try to only take selfies with the camera angled from above, so people wouldn’t see just how big I was.
"I hated seeing pictures of myself. I just had no self-confidence anymore."
When she started experiencing back pain, Sylwia went to visit the doctor in 2018 for a check up. But what her GP said gave her a nasty shock.
“My doctor told me I would either end up in a wheelchair or in the grave if I didn’t act soon,” she recalled.
When she first started exercising at her studios, she realised she was bigger than most of the members.
“It wasn’t how much I was eating because I only ate once a day before I lost weight, but it was the type of food I ate.
“So, I cut carbs out of my diet.”
She started working out at her studio four times a week and swapped large portions of pasta with cheese for salads and vegetables.
“It was a slow and steady process, which took me just over two and half years to achieve,” she said.
In 2020, Sylwia stepped on the scales and was over the moon to see she now weighed 12st 10lbs. She had also ditched size 24 clothes for size 14.
She said: “I couldn’t quite believe it. My clients had all been very encouraging, telling me that I could do it.
“I used to use them as proof that my studio works, but now I have my own transformation to show for it as well.
“It’s been really tough to completely change my mindset, so I’m incredibly proud of what I have accomplished.”
Now, Sylwia maintains her svelte figure with a mixture of a healthy diet and frequent exercise.
She said: “I’m focussing a lot on working out with the rowing machine right now, as it’s a great exercise.
“During the months of lockdown, it was tough to stay on track, but now that we’ve reopened, I want to make the most of the equipment.”
Since slimming down, Sylwia's confidence has skyrocketed.
“I was struggling to walk up two flights of stairs before and now I can run.
“My future was starting to look quite bleak health-wise, but everything is different now,” she said.
Sylwia hopes her own weight loss can be used to help other women who are trying to get into shape.
She said: “The most important thing I want to get across is how much your confidence will grow by losing excess weight.
Have you had an incredible body transformation? Email jessica.taylor@reachplc.com
“You can make the decision for yourself today to completely change your life around.
“I keep saying this to everyone but if I can do it, anyone can.”
