I'm 44 and this is how I easily lost 30kg in six months (2024)

A mum-of-three has revealed how she lost 30kg in six months after starting small and doing a 20-minute workout routine in her bedroom.

Rachael Sacerdoti, from London, weighed 90kg nine months after she gave birth to her youngest daughter.

The 44-year-old stay-at-home mum struggled with her size, and her feet would regularly turn red and swell when she walked.

Rachael began to lose 1kg a week by slowly altering her diet, going on 10-minute walks around the block, and exercising with weights on her bedroom floor.

She had 'lost herself' after gaining weight and becoming a mum in her early 30s andconfessed she 'didn't know who she was' before she started her fitness journey.

'I've really struggled with food my whole life, I had no education about what balanced meals were or how to cook for myself,' Rachael told FEMAIL.

'I had extremely bad food habits and lived on carbs and sugar. None of my meals had protein, and I was constantly snacking on white bread, jam, and fried foods.

She also didn't have a routine and ate every time she felt peckish - and it was never 'anything healthy'.

'My brother was worried and told me I had to change my mindset and look out for myself - I always burnt myself out by trying to do too much and failing,' she said.

Rachael attempted to lose weight several times over the years but never gave herself enough time to see the results.

'I wanted everything to be immediate, and it took until I was almost 40 to realise I had a long road ahead of me.'

She insisted on doing everything herself, and didn't hire a personal trainer or nutritionist to help her lose weight.

'I started in my bedroom, my safe space, and the progress was really slow but I started noticing a change in how I moved and ate.

'I fell in love with the routine and eating well - I lost 30kg in about six months and I loved the way I looked.

'My confidence came back, I developed a real sense of myself and what I wanted out of my life.'

Rachael shared that it was 'unbelievable' how spending less than an hour on herself every morning 'completely changed' her life for the better.

Rachael's weight loss journey also positively impacted how her family viewed being healthy.

'My kids ate what I did - a lot of junk and sugar - but my family has turned over a new leaf now,' she said.

'Our diet is more protein-focused and we don't rely on processed or frozen foods as much. It's mostly homemade and healthy.'

The mum didn't want to police what her children ate, and instead tried to imbue her newfound values.

'I want my kids to know about nutrition and balance - and for them to realise when they've had too many lollies or chips.

'They're allowed to eat everything in moderation - I'd never dream of taking chocolates away from them.'

Some of the changes Rachael made to her shopping habits went a long way with adding healthy foods to their diet.

She focused on 'good carbs' like quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, and whole meal bread.

Rachael also swapped to chickpea and lentil pasta, and added protein in the form of chicken, turkey, eggs, fish, tofu, tuna, cottage cheese, and Greek yoghurt.

The mum added more leafy greens to her meals so that she felt 'full' after eating and didn't restrict herself.

'I really didn't want to feel like I was on a diet or that I had to eat tiny portions,' she said.

Rachael's friends and family were so impressed with her epic transformation that they begged her to coach them.

She had reached most of her fitness goals by early 2020, and decided to spend the first lockdown helping people improve their muscle health and eat cleaner.

'My friends were really concerned about the gyms closing and didn't know how they'd be able to stay on top of their routines - this is when they asked me to help them and show them how I changed my figure,' she said.

Rachael originally just had a small group chat with six of her friends who would motivate each other and exchange progress photos - but then word of mouth began to spread.

'When I reached about 20 women, I created a business plan and focused on helping other people.

'I now offer a wellness program that is a mix of fitness, nutrition, and accountability - and it's truly been the most gratifying thing.'