Our Beyond Your Comfort Zone Winner is Jess Doolan!

Read her inspirational story below and find out how we’re helping her go Beyond Her Comfort Zone. But don’t worry, the Giveaway isn’t over yet! Send us in your goals for the chance to make them a reality

Jess Doolan: Going Beyond My Comfort Zone

I am just an average woman, I work full time running a charity shop. I’m married with a wonderful 9 year old son called Ethan. He is a smart cookie with a fantastic charmingly cheeky personality. I love my little family and I want to be a better, healthier wife and mum.

I have always battled with food for as long as I can remember, I skip breakfast, fuel myself on coffee and nicotine, eat lunch on the run and dinners late. None of my food is thought out, and a lot used to be processed junk or takeaways.

Like many other larger people I understand the basis of healthy eating, we would be lying if we said differently, but what a lot of people cannot comprehend is that understanding healthy eating and actually doing it is two very different things.

It’s a mental battle that some really really struggle with, it’s a demon that is really hard to break. An addiction that slowly but surely kills you off.

Back in 2015 I topped the scales at 17’2 (240lbs) this was the same as I weighed when I was 7 months pregnant!!! This time round I wasn’t pregnant just excessively overweight. At the start of 2016, a colleague helped me with my diet, she didn’t have to do it, but she did! between her and a personal trainer that I had I went on to loose 42lb. I thought that I had nailed the healthy lifestyle but in reality I hadn’t. My colleague left work and my PT went travelling. My weight rapidly went back on and I went out of control. Jan-April 2017 I had put 21lb back on. Although I am friends with my old colleague I didn’t want to burden her with my weight battle again.

I started using Instagram, taking accountability of my food and exercise, posting for the world to see, when I was told about Beyond Storage. I am honoured and privileged that they saw my goal I had set as inspiring and have agreed to help me.

A few years back I said to a friend over dinner that I wanted to be “fit and 40” I thought time was on my side and that I had years to get there. I had the same conversations with my mum and she persuaded me initially with the gym and the personal trainer. She died a year ago! I woke up the day after her birthday, the first one without her and realised that the promise that I had made to her, myself and my family was only little over a year away BUT a million miles away too.

I set a goal to loose 56lb in 56 weeks, which would lead to my 40th birthday and sit me at 164lb. when I heard about beyond storages competition I was persuaded to apply….. I am so glad I did, as they have agreed to help me.

With help from James Hay and the team at Beyond Storage, I aim to re-educate myself when it comes to food, to learn what I really need to fuel my day and what I really need to leave out. I have been doing this alone BUT I do need help and I am honest about that.

James is going to set me up with a personal trainer, to help me with diet and fitness and guide me through my challenge. This for me is WAY beyond my comfort zone. I am a large girl being honest about my weight, laying myself emotionally bare to the people out there that are far to quick to judge an individual. It will be blogged for the world to see. I find walking through the door of a gym hard, let alone using the kit!! To admit you have failings so openly is so hard, but I am doing it for such a good purpose. I know that I get looks from people due to my size.

I want to improve for myself and my family. I don’t want to go on holiday and not be in the photos any more or just have pictures of my face, or photos I hate. I don’t want to take 50 selfies before I find a photo that will “do” I don’t want to risk health issues I want to live life and be “fit and 40” not “Fat and 40”

It would be amazing if just one other person saw my blog and my fight and realised that they are not alone! Trust me when I say you are not. The battle that you fight, I feel it. The emotional self abuse that you put yourself through for eating something bad… I do it too BUT it’s not the way. Reach out, ask for help from a neighbour, a friend, a colleague, Instagram … there is always someone that will help you, never go it alone. It takes so much courage to ask for help but it is worth it.