- Connie Stowers, 38, embarked on a weight loss journey, trying intermittent fasting for months
- Unsatisfied, she decided to give up booze and took up roller skating
- Now, she has lost a whopping 42 kilos since picking up her new hobby at her local roller skating rink
Here she shares her story in her own words.
Lying in my pyjamas on the couch, I reached for the cheese and crackers.
Trapped in the house due to the Covid lockdown, I was combating my boredom by bingeing on snacks and greasy takeaway food.
It was March 2020 and I was four months along with my first baby.
My husband and I were thrilled to be expecting. But I’d been temporarily laid off from my retail job, and struggling with my mental health, I’d been put on pregnancy-safe antidepressants. But the meds were making me pack on the kilos.
At our wedding in June 2019, I’d felt so confident in my trumpet-style bridal gown, standing proudly at 92.5 kilos. As an adult, I’d hovered between 90 to 104 kilos, so I’d felt great about my wedding weight.
Giving birth to our gorgeous girl, Autumn, in July 2020, it was love at first sight.
I want to be the best mum possible, I thought.
‘I was totally addicted to food.’
But staying at home and isolating during Covid, my weight ballooned.
I was drinking three litres of full-cream milk a week, and stuffed my face with pasta, sugary cereal, and white bread, and binged on snacks like cured meats and cheeses. I was totally addicted to food.
In November 2021, I stepped on the scales.
‘What!?’ I gasped as the dial juddered up to read 134.7 kilos.
Who have I become? I thought.
Struggling with sleep apnoea, my mental health, and pain in my back and knees, my health had taken such a hit.
When Autumn was one, my husband and I separated. After we sold up and moved to different homes, while sharing custody of Autumn, I spiralled.
Missing my precious girl half the week, I indulged in booze binges on the nights Autumn was with her dad.
And in January 2022, when our divorce was finalised, I toasted myself with a few glasses of wine at home alone.
I was at an all-time low.
But then one morning in March 2022, I woke up with a resounding thought.
I need to quit grog for a while, I thought, deciding to embark on a weight loss journey.
Hoping to last a month as a reset, by the end of 30 days I felt so much healthier and brighter so I continued.
With drinking off the table, I needed to find a distraction for the nights I was away from my girl. I thought back to the inspiring videos of roller skaters I’d come across while scrolling on social media.
I actually loved roller skating as a kid, I remembered.
So I took myself to a roller skating rink nearby and pulled up the laces of my hired skates.
‘It was like being a little kid!’
Giving it a crack, I fell on my bottom more times than I could count! But with the music blaring and the disco lights flashing, I couldn’t help but smile.
I came home black and blue, and with a very sore tail-bone. But I couldn’t wait to go again. It was like being a little kid!
Whenever I felt the urge to have a drink, I’d take myself back to the rink and skate. I’d even film myself, tumbles and all, hoping to one day look back on my progress.
I also made lots of great new friends at the roller skating rink.
Amazingly, I was slowly losing some weight too!
Two months on, I felt more toned and fit, and wasn’t getting out of breath as quickly. Soon I had the confidence to sport gorgeous skin-tight leggings and crop tops. And I felt beautiful out there, no matter my size.
In September, six months in, I could even do several spins in a row on my skates.
After a year, I’d whittled my frame down from a size 20 to a 16. I felt like my body was mine again. My weight loss journey was working!
Sometimes I’d even bring Autumn down to the rink to watch the skaters.
But I was still gorging on sugary and carby treats. I can’t let my eating control me any longer, I thought.
So in March 2023, I decided to try intermittent fasting, meaning I’d only eat between 11am and 6pm. I ate more nutritious food including cottage cheese, fruits and high-protein bread, and less processed junk – all without sacrificing my favourite carbs.
I was less hungry and had more energy than I’d had in years.
‘I’d lost 42.7 kilos!’
By then, I’d also weaned off the antidepressants with the help of my doctor.
Feeling fitter as the months rolled on, I had the motivation to start running, weightlifting, taking hip-hop dance classes and playing football.
As the kilos continued to melt away, I couldn’t believe what the digits read on the scales.
‘I’m 92 kilos!’ I beamed that September with pride. I’d lost 42.7 kilos!
Incredibly, I’d also halved my body fat!
At the gym, my trainer explained I was 50.3 per cent body fat at my heaviest, and now I was down to 27.3 per cent.
When asked how I’ve ditched the kilos, I say I’m on a diet of self love.
I poured my energy into things that made me feel good – like roller skating – and fuelled my body with the healthy food I deserved.
I haven’t touched alcohol since that day in March 2022, more than three years ago – and I don’t ever plan to again.
After losing 42 kilos at the roller skating rink I am the best version of myself that I can be. I want to show Autumn, now four, what it’s like to be a strong, powerful woman, and that she can do anything she sets her mind to.
Last Christmas, I even gifted her some skates so she can join me at the rink!
Sharing my story, I hope it shows it’s never too late to change the course of your life. I’ve never felt more alive.
