Many young women and teens struggle with their body image. Sadly, many of these women will resort to dangerous diets that deprive them of the nutrients they need to stay healthy .
One fitness influencer is sharing her dramatic before-and-after photos for a very important reason.
It’s to prove that starving yourself is not the answer when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle and loving your body.
Her message is so important and we’re applauding her for speaking out about this issue.
Lucy Mains is a fitness influencer who has garnered thousands of fans on YouTube and Instagram.
The Scottish 19-year-old often posts updates from her frequent workouts and has a few fitness tutorials on her platforms, too.
One thing is for sure, Lucy is ripped.
Besides showing off her gains and muscles, Lucy uses her platforms for a much more important reason. She’s spreading a body-positive message and has revealed her own struggles with her fans.
Even though she’s happy and healthy now, that wasn’t always the case for Lucy.
Like a lot of young women, Lucy was insecure about her weight and body and looking for ways to lose weight.
She took to dieting and restricting calories, believing it was the only way to stay skinny.
For many men and women, this is the message heard most; eat less and you’ll weigh less.
Many diets ignore things like health or exercise.
She shares her story and transformation through these dramatic before-and-after photos.
The photo on the left was taken in 2016 and the one on the right was taken in 2018. It’s clear that Lucy gained a lot more muscle mass in those two years.
Her transformation isn’t just from working out though — Lucy had to learn how to properly eat (and eat a lot more than she was) for this to happen.
In one heartbreaking post she wrote , “I ate under 1000 calories a day, barely anything! In my mind, the less I weighed, the happier I’d be.”
According to Lucy, she eats about 3000 calories a day now.
She’s realized that she needs the fuel from food in order to have the energy to work out. Not eating enough can actually have a negative impact on your fitness goals.
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Lucy’s story isn’t just about her physical transformation, though.
“The left photos were the first ever pictures I really took as a way to ‘track my progress’. It was 2016,” she said I was constantly feeling down and just was going through a pretty hard time. This is when I decided I wanted to do something about it.”
Since she started working out, eating properly, and focusing on her health, Lucy said she’s also seen an improvement in her mental health.
“Fast forward to 2019… I’m no longer that girl I used to be who constantly felt sad and insecure. I’ve grown into a girl who feels strong, independent, happy and empowered.”
She’s also reminding her fans to be patient with themselves and to not compare their progress to others.
With social media, it’s so easy to compare your body to everyone else’s. As Lucy explains, this can lead to unrealistic expectations since everyone’s bodies are built differently.
Health and fitness is different for everybody.
“Everyone is built completely different and this comes down to genetics, some people are luckier than others when it comes to having naturally small waists!” she said , adding that gaining muscle up top can make your waist look smaller without starving yourself.
And she admits to making her own mistakes.
“I’m guilty as I used to constantly compare myself to others and wonder why my body doesn’t look like theirs,” she continued, “All we can do is work towards being the best versions of OURSELVES and we are all equally beautiful in our own individual ways.”
Lucy’s message is so important and we’re glad she’s sharing her story with her followers.
Her story could seriously change people’s mindsets and stop someone from harming themselves by dieting.
Lucy’s main message is to be healthy, happy, and love yourself, and that’s something we all need to hear!
