How new mum Vira lost 18.4kg and found the woman she’d lost 10 years ago

After having her son, Vira barely recognised the woman she had become.

Once fiercely independent, the 38-year-old mum was struggling with diabetes and thyroid problems, gaining weight and caught in a cycle of comfort eating and bingeing on biscuits, chocolate and crisps.

She would look at old photographs and desperately wonder how she could get back to the person she had been 10 years earlier.

Vira came to Ultimate Performance to help lose some weight and change how she felt.

After losing 18.4kg (41lbs) with Ultimate Performance, lifting weights and transforming her nutrition gave her something much bigger – her confidence, strength and sense of self back.

Now she has the energy to keep up with her young son and be the strong, healthy mum she always wanted him to see.

Here’s how she did it…

Vira, what was life like before you came to Ultimate Performance?

After the birth of my son, Kai, I went through a really horrible time. I lost all my confidence, and I lost the ability to find time for myself. And I couldn’t find my way back.

I had diabetes, I developed a problem with my thyroid (overactive) that led to me putting on weight, and to lose my hair. I was eating a lot of comfort food to self-medicate, and I just didn’t feel good about myself.

Even though my weight crept up because of the comfort eating, I didn’t care. There were times I’d try and go on a little health kick for a couple of days, but I’d end up binge eating on biscuits and chocolate a few days later, and I couldn’t get out of that cycle.

I felt very vulnerable, and very unhappy. I felt very unworthy, and that I was not good enough. Not just in my appearance, but in everything. I felt as if I was living in a shell and living inside a body that wasn’t mine.

How much did that affect your sense of who you were?

Until I became a Mum, I’d always been fiercely independent and I always worked. But then I found myself raising Kai almost single-handedly because my husband travels so much, and things just started to pile up on top of me. I felt broken.

I didn’t know who I was. I was desperately trying to find the person I once was 10 years ago and become the person I wanted to be again. I’d even look at old pictures of myself and think: ‘How do I get back to this?’

I felt lost, not because of the post-partum side of things or becoming a Mum, but it was a culmination of things that had happened to me over the last decade.

There were times I didn’t even want to wake up. I’d stare at the ceiling, and I wouldn’t want to get up, but I had to, for Kai. Having Kai saved me, because he was my reason to carry on.

How important was your son in motivating you to make a change?

There would times I would panic, and feel really scared, because of the concerns I had about my diabetes.

Kai only has me, I’m his whole world, so when I began reading up about diabetes and some of the complications that can develop, I started to worry about who would look after him if something happened to me.

I just wanted to be a better version of myself for him, so that he would see me and say: ‘Mummy is strong, she’s healthy, she’s active, she’s a strong Mummy’.

Was there a particular moment when you realised something had to change?

There was a tipping point when I went out with my friends on a night out, and when I looked at pictures from that night, out of the whole group of my friends, I was the only one who didn’t look like ‘me’.

It was like looking at someone else. It scared me, and I thought: ‘I need to do something and take back control of my life.’

You had never really lifted weights before. What were those first few weeks like?

I started at Ultimate Performance when Kai was about 18-months-old. I’d never lifted weights before, and I did find the first few months hard. It was a good six weeks or so before I started to see changes to my appearance and to understand the importance of eating a high-protein diet and tracking my food.

But after a while working with Nelea, I started to see big changes, not just with my appearance, but with my overall health and my mindset and mental health.

How did working with your trainer help you start prioritising yourself again?

I told Nelea everything about what I’d been through before I came to U.P., and she really understood that I wanted to do something for myself. She just listened to me and allowed me to open up in a way I hadn’t done before.

I’m a very selfless person, and I always want to do everything for everybody, especially as a Mum. But I didn’t realize how much I’d neglected myself. And now, through going this journey, I’ve realized that no matter what you do in life, whether you’re a Mum, or you have a partner, you still have to look after yourself.

You have to prioritize your own health, and do things for yourself, because no-one else will do it for you. It’s only you that can make things good things happen for yourself.

How did your relationship with food begin to change?

I used to turn to food because it was the only thing I found comforting. I would sit on the sofa and eat a whole bag of crisps whilst watching a movie because it made me feel good for that split second, but I would feel so horrible afterwards. And it wasn't until I came to Ultimate Performance and worked with Nelea that I realized that those things were only giving me a bit of pleasure or comfort for an hour or so. That feeling didn’t last.

But by lifting weights, and eating a clean diet, not only did I lose a lot of weight and felt so much better, psychologically, it taught me that I could do positive things for myself rather than just turning to a bag of crisps or cake.

And gradually I began to understand that I do have worth, that I do have value, and that I am a strong person. Coming to U.P. and working with Nelea has helped me understand that.

What made your trainer’s support so important to your transformation?

From the very first moment, she changed everything. I had no confidence, no belief in myself, and no fight left. Opening up to a stranger about how I truly felt was overwhelming – it meant facing the truth out loud.

But somehow, with her kindness, patience, and understanding, Nelea made it feel safe. She saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself. Little by little, she helped me rebuild, not just my body, but my spirit.

Today, I can honestly say I am me again. I feel strong, confident, and full of life. I’ve learned patience, consistency, and self-belief, things I never thought I’d truly master. Nelea is so much more than a trainer. She is a guide, a motivator, and at times, the light I needed when I couldn’t see any for myself. Her passion, dedication, and genuine care are unlike anything I’ve experienced before. She broke everything down for me – from food and training to mindset and emotion – in a way that I could understand and carry with me forever.

What did you learn about nutrition that you hadn’t understood before?

Before I came to U.P., I would often skip breakfast and binge on junk food later, and I didn’t understand how to clean up my diet. So, the first change was to eat meals at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, that were high in protein.

Before I started at U.P., I would eat breakfast, then have a chocolate bar with a cup of tea, perhaps a sandwich with a big packet of crisps, a high-calorie dinner and then another big packet of crisps and a piece of cake watching Netflix. It didn’t actually look, or feel, like a lot of food, but it was just so high in calories.

When I started working with Nelea, at first, I struggled with the idea of eating what seemed like so much more food. I think a lot of women probably thought the same as I did, which was that if you want to lose weight, you should eat an apple for breakfast, a yoghurt for lunch, and a sandwich for dinner.

But when Nelea explained to me the different macronutrients – the protein, carbs, and fats – in what I was eating, and why it was so important to fuel my body, I really started to understand how to eat properly.

What does your nutrition look like now?

Now, a typical day might consist of chicken sausages, a slice of toast, some eggs, some sprouts or avocados and a cup of coffee for breakfast; water throughout the day; a tuna wrap with salad and a bit of fruit for lunch; and chicken, vegetables and sweet potatoes for dinner. I love sweet potatoes!

And I’ve found that I can still have a bit of chocolate or the odd packet of crisps – you don’t have to give everything up! I still eat out, I still have a cookie now and again or eat something I really fancy.

The real change in my mindset is knowing there is a limit and knowing that eating 10 cookies is not going to make me feel good long-term. I know now how to eat to satisfy a physical craving, rather than eating to satisfy my emotions.

How did your perception of lifting weights change once you began feeling stronger?

I’d never really lifted weights before, so we started light. I’d read about the fact that weight training can help lower your insulin levels, or help with an overactive thyroid, but I thought it was a myth, if I’m honest.

But then after a while, not only could I see the changes to my body, I could feel them. I felt great. I could see my arms were becoming more toned. But I also started to feel stronger. My core felt stronger. My back felt better. So that really spurred me on to lift heavier and chase that feeling of being strong.

After everything you’ve been through, how different do you feel today?

I’m a completely different person. I feel strong. I feel excited to do things. But it’s not just about how I look physically, it’s how I feel inside that’s been the biggest change.

I feel healthier in mind as well as body. My anxiety has settled down, and I have a new way of looking at life and what I can achieve, what I’m capable of, and what I can do next. It’s really opened my eyes.

What does being fitter and stronger mean for your life with your son?

When I go to pick Kai up from nursery, or I’m running after him or playing with him, I’m not out of breath like I used to be walking up a hill pushing the pram. I used to feel miserable that I’d get so tired, so quickly, playing with him. But now I love being able to play with him and keep up with him because I’m so much fitter, and that feeling makes me so happy.

And what does it mean to see your son noticing the change in you?

I feel like no-one knows me better than Kai does. What he feels, I feel, and what I feel, he feels. So now, when he says: ‘Mummy does the gym! Mummy is so strong!’ and we flex our biceps together, it’s just the most priceless feeling in the world.

I had a photoshoot in the gym and he came with me, which was lovely. This whole journey has not been about the aesthetics, but it’s been about rediscovering how to feel good about myself and Kai picks up on that, and he’s happy because I’m happy. It’s hard to describe what a good feeling that is.

Ready to turn your life around, like Vira? ENQUIRE NOW

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