Lisa Riley is a very confident woman these days, and she is not hesitant to show off her new body. She worked hard to lose a lot of extra weight but ended up with sagging skin. Rather than hiding it, she openly shared it and went under the knife to look better.
Here, we are having a look at her interesting fitness journey, her mistakes that led to weight gain, people who motivated her and how she got rid of the saggy skin while inspiring others to do the same.
Biggest Regret
The TV celebrity has lost 12 stone and now, has the body she only dreamed of. Yet, she has a big regret. She regrets the fact that she didn’t embark upon this fitness journey earlier because if she had, her mother (who died of cancer 5 years back) would have been there to see the weight loss results.
Her Achievement
One of the many achievements that she has gotten now is that she is one-fifth the size she was when she attended her mother’s funeral.
Fitness Routine
The fitness routine that helped Lisa to lose so much weight involved training like mad in the gym and sticking to a sensible food plan. Now, her body is muscled and toned in the right places.
The Mistakes
The Emmerdale (1972-Present) actress says that she got the role in 1995 and it was at that time, she started indulging in things that were not too healthy. Things got worse when she knew about her mother’s cancer in 2000 because she started using food as a crutch. She never cooked, partied a lot, depended on convenience food or microwave meals and didn’t even go to the gym.
She even had 50 Twix bars or a whole pack of sausages in one go. Though she was getting quite big at that time, she didn’t feel anything was wrong because she was accepted, people liked her, and she refused to succumb to pressures to look a certain way.
Weight Loss Initiation
Though her mother constantly motivated her to lose weight and even made her see a dietician, she started with the weight loss journey when she joined the ballroom floor of Strictly Come Dancing (2004-Present). At that time, she had a punishing training schedule.
Lifestyle Change
Though Strictly Come Dancing helped her to stay fit, she didn’t actually begin making lifestyle changes until she came to know that her dad Terry Riley was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
Diet Changes
It’s been two years since she made several diet changes to make herself fitter. Since the last two years, she has stopped having alcohol and has made wise food choices like switching pasta, crisps, and cakes for fish, porridge, and vegetables.
Another Supporter
The TV presenter has got the support of her soulmate who avoids limelight but remains by her side forever. He had helped her when she decided to lose weight, and he supported her decision to go under the knife as well.
He is also proud of the lifestyle changes she has made and even helped her celebrate her achievement of not having an alcoholic drink since last two years by giving her a card and yellow roses. (Aww…that’s so sweet!!)
Biggest Side Effect of Weight Loss
The biggest side effect of weight loss that came as a shocker for the TV star was saggy skin. Thanks to her fitness journey, she had gone from size 28 to 12. But at the end of the weight loss journey, she had 60 stretch marks on her tummy. She had never ever dreamed that loose skin will be too bad and hated her reflection.
She even thought that she made a mistake in losing weight because she had no loose skin when she was obese and was quite comfortable with the way she looked.
The Surgeries
To fix the things, she decided to undergo two surgeries and got rid of 1.5 stone of the saggy skin. The first one was fleur de lis tummy tuck after which she had vertical and Âhorizontal scars. It aimed at removing loose skin from her thighs. The second operation was done to get rid of the flapping bingo wings and lift her breasts.
It took many long painful months to recover from these surgeries, but she doesn’t regret them because she is happy with her new body and feels proud to show it off.
Helping Others
The author wanted to help people realize that if they are suffering from sagging skin post a weight loss journey, then they are not alone in that. She showed her sagging skin to all to help people realize that having sagging skin is normal and they shouldn’t be embarrassed by it.
Hiding It
The actress also confessed that she hid the rolls of skin into her tights and underwear and people didn’t even realize it was there. They just complimented her about how amazing she looks post weight loss. Though she was good at hiding that skin, it was painful as cleaning between the folds was tough and the folded skin often became red if it was hidden for a few hours.
Not Alone
When she realized that scores of people were suffering from sagging skin and they all wanted to get rid of it, she formed an online community and brought them all together. She even created a Baggy Body club and met some of those community members in person. Talking to community members also helped her gain confidence before her surgeries. She says that though she could have lived without these surgeries, she wouldn’t have been happy. So, she went for it and corrected what was wrong with her body.
Sticking to the Change
The lovely woman says that she can’t believe how far she has come. She can now wear sexy underwear and doesn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed. So, she is sticking to the lifestyle changes like not drinking, not smoking and not eating unhealthy foods. Her only addiction right now is shopping as she can’t do without it. She now prefers sparkling water instead of coffee, red wine, crisps, cake and baguette during her travel time. She is determined to stay on the healthy path and never go back to the old path of unhealthy habits, no matter how many people expect her to do just that.
Celebrating Uniquely
Riley celebrated her new body uniquely by being a Maid of Honour at the wedding of close friend Nicola, where she went wearing a size 12 bridesmaid dress. She became a bridesmaid after 13 years, thoroughly enjoyed the experience and felt like a million dollars all that time.
Featured Image by Lisa Riley / Instagram
