28 May 2024 , 10:51
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A mum had a 'glow up' and transformed her "old lady body" to become super fit in her 50s and now feels "stronger" than ever.
Billie Steele, 51, hadn't struggled with her weight until she had her second child aged 35 and tipped the scales at 13st 5lbs and a size 16. She lost the weight but found herself gaining it again aged 48 after becoming perimenopausal - reaching 12st 9lbs and a size 14.
Billie struggled with depression, drinking and her diet for three years but managed to start making changes after realising the "burden" her health could be on her two children. She hit the gym and turned her life around and is now a ripped 51-year-old.
Billie, a personal trainer, from New South Wales, Australia said: "I can't believe what I looked like. I was in the self-destruct Olympics. I felt disgusting. Now I feel physically stronger.
Billie Steele before and after her fitness transformation (Billie Steele)"Everything about my body is better than it's ever been. My memory is sharper. I have better flexibility. Everything is amazing. I love a good glow up." Billie worked hard to lose 4st 7lbs after gaining weight after having her son, Gus, 17. But at aged 48 it started to creep back on.
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She said: "Around 48 I started to experience perimenopause. I started to stick on all this weight. I got really depressed and anxious. It just got out of control." The weight gain took a toll on the mum's mental health and she struggled with suicidal thoughts and spent 21 days in rehab for depression.
She isolated herself from her friends and family and even stopped talking to her daughter, Grace, 25. She said: "I felt like an idiot. I was drinking. I created estrangement with my daughter. I just stopped talking to her." When the pandemic hit, Billie continued to spiral and it wasn't until her doctor told her she was pre-diabetic she knew she had to change.
Billie’s body before her fitness transformation (Billie Steele/SWNS)
Billie shows off her super fit physique (Billie Steele/SWNS)She said: "They said I will be diabetic if I don't change my diet and stop drinking. I just imagined being a burden on my children. I felt really ashamed. I did it all to myself." Billie changed up her diet and now makes an effort to home cook her dinner every day. I stopped ordering Uber Eats. I stopped drinking beer every single night. Billie's daughter spotted her local gym had a 12-week challenge on and encouraged her to sign up.
She said: "I felt like all the meat had been torn off my bones. I felt like a kid again - I had to parent and teach myself how to do everything again." Now Billie is a slender 9st 2lbs and a size eight and looking back on old photos she can't even recognise herself. She said: "I feel like it's not even me. It feels like I'm looking at a stranger.
"That woman finally got her s**t together. She got us to where we are today. I was hating on the person I used to be. Now I'm grateful she made that decision to want more for herself." Billie hits the gym four days a week for resistance training, runs three days a weeks and walks 10,000 steps a day.
She eats home-cooked protein rich wholefoods and avoids alcohol. She said: "I'm happier and more at peace."