After lockdown caused Ashleigh Pearce to pile on the pounds, her mum persuaded her to change her ways – and now she’s never felt better
Ashleigh Pearce, 24, from London, was consuming over 5,000 calories a day during the first lockdown in 2020. But when her worried mum, Agnieszka, 52, saw how much her daughter was eating, she knew she had to say something.
She encouraged Ashleigh to hit the gym and change her diet and now, three years later, she’s half the woman she used to be, having shed over 9st 5lbs through rigorous exercise and healthy eating.
OUT OF CONTROL
Ashleigh says, “Before, I was in a bad place mentally and didn’t recognise the person I had become. But these days I’ve found happiness and energy I never knew existed before. My entire life has completely changed!”
Ashleigh first started struggling with her weight in 2016. She was 18 and at university, but when the UK went into lockdown in March 2020, things quickly got out of control. Instead of daily walks, she’d spend her time in front of the TV, gorging on all her favourite takeaways, including pizza and Chinese.
She explains, “I couldn’t even summon the energy to go for a stroll and was eating more than double the recommended calorie count. I was always hungry so found myself smashing through big bags of crisps and whole packs of cookies. I was constantly baking sweet treats like cakes and brownies to pass the time. I felt terrible and my stomach was covered in stretch marks because I was gaining weight so fast.”
In just six months, she had put on 3st and, while living at home in London, her mum was becoming increasingly concerned about Ashleigh’s size. She says, “Mum’s always been into fitness and healthy eating, and could see my lifestyle was making me ill. She’d try to encourage me to eat her healthy meals like chicken soups and homemade lasagnes, but I wasn’t having any of it and got very defensive when she mentioned my weight.”
REALISATION
But while Ashleigh knew she was piling on the pounds, with nothing else to look forward to in lockdown, food remained her main source of comfort.
She says, “I’d gone from 15st 5lbs before lockdown to 18st. I used to be someone who loved clothes, but I was wearing a size 18 and hated the way I looked. Whenever I’d pop out, I couldn’t look at my reflection in shop windows.”
Then, in March 2021, Ashleigh’s health took a serious turn when she caught Covid. She says, “I got it so bad I could barely breathe or walk, and Mum told me if I’d maintained a healthy diet, it wouldn’t have affected me as much. It was very scary and a lightbulb moment.”
