Mum-of-three reveals how she took back her life post-pregnancy

A mother-of-three who “put on a ridiculous amount of weight” during her second pregnancy has showed off her incredible weight loss.

Pregnancy triggers life-changing decision. Picture: Supplied

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A mother-of-three who “put on a ridiculous amount of weight” thanks to her “toxic” lifestyle has revealed how she claimed her life back.

Hayley Duncan has just had her second child when she realised the way she was living was “toxic”.

She said she was looking at her first son and realising the impact her life would have on him as he grew up.

Hayley kept putting on weight during her pregnancy. Picture: Supplied/The Healthy Mummy

“If I had kept going down that path, God knows where I’d be,” she told news.com.au, adding she wanted to make a change for the better after putting on a lot of weight during her second pregnancy.

Hayley discovered the Healthy Mummy in 2016 through a friend, and was soon buying the books as she was unable to afford a subscription at the time.

“I started off small, just focusing on snacks and stuff, especially with having the two boys and being busy,” she said, adding she found it hard to meal prep.

Slowly, she started to incorporate healthier meals, cleaned out her pantry and learned about what foods she could put into her body that would fuel it and make it feel good.

She was unhappy with her appearance. Picture: Supplied/The Healthy Mummy

Hayley said the power and knowledge signified a significant shift in her mental journey. Picture: Supplied/The Healthy Mummy

In the past she’d tried dieting, meal replacement shakes and other types of habits that promised to lose weight fast – but they’d all failed to help her get to her goal.

“I just didn’t know anything. You just go in and you’re not being educated on stuff and you just do what you think you’re supposed to,” she said.

In 2018, Hayley fell pregnant once again but felt confident that after her two years of successfully managing her weight, she wouldn’t fall into the trap of “eating for two” and put on a “ridiculous amount of weight” like with her previous two pregnancies.

Hayley discovered the Healthy Mummy in 2016 through a friend. Picture: Supplied/The Healthy Mummy

Hayley said the power and knowledge signified a significant shift in her mental journey when it came to her wellbeing.

She said while the physical journey has been good – getting down to her lowest weight from before she had her first son, before settling at the 63kg mark thanks to gaining muscle – she felt much better in her own skin.

“I haven’t ever had so much confidence in my skin, like in my own body and just the comfort I have like with you know, developing my muscle and how I feel,” she said.

“The mental side of things is probably the biggest for me because it’s just I feel so much more sure of myself. I don’t worry about all the little things anymore.”