A 31-year-old Irish woman has revealed how she shed an incredible 13st 7lb, dropping from 22st to just 8st 7lb without resorting to weight-loss injections or surgical procedures.
Christina Togher, who manages a coffee shop in Castlebar, County Mayo, achieved the transformation between March 2024 and June this year through dietary swaps, walking, strength training, and sessions on the stair machine.
The dramatic weight loss took her from wearing size XXL clothing down to a size 8 in jeans and XS or small in tops.
“It’s crazy when you start putting numbers on it, it’s actually crazy to think that I’ve lost the weight of a full-grown man,” Christina said, reflecting on her 86kg weight loss journey.
Christina’s weight loss struggle began in childhood
|
PA
Her weight struggles began in childhood, with Christina describing herself as always having been a “bigger person”. The severe bullying she endured during her younger years because of her size led to crippling anxiety.
“My weight made me feel so self-conscious, but I didn’t deal with it. I tended to eat my feelings,” she explained.
Throughout her late teens and early 20s, Christina’s weight continued to climb. She briefly managed to slim down to 11st while studying accounting and finance at university in Ireland, even reaching a size 12 in jeans.
But after taking a job as a chef, her progress unravelled and she found herself reaching for takeaways, bread rolls, wraps and chocolate biscuits, quickly gaining 7st 12lb.
By March 2024, she weighed 18st 12lb and knew something had to change.
Her life changed when personal trainer Nicky Kearney walked into her workplace for a coffee. Deciding to “bite the bullet”, Christina reached out to him for help.
“Nicky went through it all with me – my lifestyle, my diet, my exercise routine. He made me realise that it wasn’t such a big thing in my head, that I’d made a mountain out of something that shouldn’t have been a mountain,” she said.
Her first gym session ended in tears after seeing the fit boxers and bodybuilders around her. But with Nicky’s support, she returned and discovered “no one was actually watching me and everybody is in there for themselves”.
Christina then committed fully, losing a steady 3lb weekly through five days of weight training, 30-minute Stairmaster sessions, and 10,000 to 12,000 daily steps.
Her daily meals now consist of an oat protein shake with fruit for breakfast, high-protein wraps with falafel for lunch, and proteins with vegetables for dinner. She’s swapped unhealthy snacks for fruit or rice cakes and drastically cut her caffeine intake.
“I’ve repaired my relationship with food, and I’ve fallen in love with exercise – I now know how to maintain this lifestyle in a healthy way,” Christina said.
Christina transformed her physique through a strict diet and exercise regimen
|
PA
The massive weight loss has left her with excess skin, particularly around her stomach and arms. Her trainer has set up a GoFundMe page to raise €10,000 (£8,819) for removal surgery in Dublin, which isn’t covered by Ireland’s public health system.
“It would mean so much to get the surgery because it’s the last thing that makes me self-conscious. It would make me feel beautiful again,” she said.