My 30-day “New Me” Challenge

By Anastasia Burton

Fashion and Lifestyle Editor

So, some of us may have already fallen into the “I hate the way I look, and bikini season is coming” phase where we get inspired at three o’clock in the morning to start a 30-day squat challenge. I have come to confess I was the first one to jump headfirst into that phase and began searching for effective ways of losing weight. Now if you also fell into that phase, please be careful in your weight loss journey as it can bring many more insecurities and eating disorders than you think. For example, before lockdown I weighed 65kg. During lockdown like many I stopped moving as often and began searching for an effective birth control option. I started with the bar and then with the pill and the injection. Now I weigh 77kg. You can see how that can really affect one’s mental state, when I looked in the mirror, I saw nothing but flaws and disappointment.

So let me tell you about my 30-day “New Me” challenge which I took on with my friend. This challenge was run by an Instagram nutritionist and well-known personal trainer and body builder in Ukraine where I am originally from. The programme consisted of fifteen different menus consisting of about four to five food intakes as well as video guidance workouts and advice from the trainer. My friend had also gone through the phase of really wanting to lose weight fast and has heard about this woman from her friend in her hometown in Ukraine.

The month marathon cost about 600 hryvna which is in and around the 20-euro mark. Cheap, right? But I thought why not? What could be the worst that could happen. At that point before beginning this challenge I had already begun a calorie deficit program and used the app Yazio to track my daily calorie intake.

The first week of the programme started off in the following manner: We were asked to send in pictures of ourselves from different angles as well as send her our measurements. If you thought this makes one hate themselves more, you are correct. Looking at the images made my eating disorder and my body dysmorphia act in ways which made me afraid to look in the mirror. It was horrible! She sent us all an invite into a group chat and that is when I smelled fire. There were twelve other women in the group all looking to lose wight. All of us different ages and different body types. Although I had told her I do not eat meat and prefer to a lead a vegetarian diet she was constantly including meats in our meals. When I tried asking what I should replace them with to make them vegetarian friendly I was told to eat what I am being instructed to eat and to do everything as the trainer says... Sketchy!

During my first week I struggled. The food was horrid, and it was causing me to feel constantly drained and hungry. I was not used to eating so much and so often it made me extremely sick. I once missed one meal out of the four and I got bullied in the group by the trainer! She said “If you think you will lose weight quicker by not eating, you’re wrong” ... Very motivating and understanding. She was aware that I struggled with Bulimia for about seven years now falling in and out of my Eating Disorder every couple of months.

Pooches and smooches

I also quickly noticed that the workouts she was giving us were prerecordings from 2019 where some of the exercises were already outdated and proven to not be effective. I was disappointed. We were also instructed to have at least 4,000 steps a day and up to 10,000 for us to lose weight quickly. Let me tell you that was a lot of bull. Yes, staying active is important but forcing people to walk in horrible weather just because you said they must be a bit cruel. Not everyone can walk 4,000 steps every day and with a diet like that you wouldn’t have the energy for it either.

This lasted for four weeks. Although the group chat was a bit of motivation it was also super toxic with women bragging about their weight loss or bragging about what foods they make and how long their exercises were. Almost as though they really wanted to be the best in the group when this is not a competition this is just a programme to help you get into a routine of eating healthier. The trainer also put a lot of pressure on us to send a collage of all the foods we ate that day to make sure we were eating exactly by the menu. This of course made me paranoid as this entire challenge was beginning to sound like a competition and dictatorship rather than a supporting group for women trying to lose weight together and work on their own goals. I stopped sending in my meal photos once I began receiving messages about the fact that my portions looked small and lacked meat or “real food” even though I already specified, I’m a vegetarian!

Each week proved to be harder than the last not only with the menu becoming increasingly more basic, bland, and filled with useless ingredients like avocado which SPOILER ALERT has zero benefit to your ability to lose weight as they have truly little to no nutritional value, only natural fats. So, if you are eating avocado with everything hoping to lose weight, do not waste your time and stop torturing your tastebuds. It will not help you.

In the end out of the twelve women only three remained. The challenge was not a complete failure as I did lose about 2kg, but I did cheat a lot and ate mostly what I usually ate I just moved more. So, in conclusion, do not trust instagram nutritionists and trainers they copy and paste their menus from other sources and charge you money for just bringing your self-esteem down. This of course does not apply to all the trainers and nutritionists you find on the gram but please be careful and do not let yourself be pressured or controlled. Weight loss is different for everyone and sometimes it is best to figure things out slowly and do it correctly to keep the weight off rather than jumping headfirst, destroying your metabolism, and creating an unhealthy relationship with food.

Speak to a specialist to see what nutritional balances work for you, what kind of exercises are effective for you. Do this for you babe and do not let others force their body views on you.

By Anastasia Burton

Most of us who have pets are wholeheartedly in love and attached to them. They greet you when you come back from work or even a night out and offer you their excitement. To your pet there is nobody like you and that would make anyone feel special! Animals are known to be beneficial to people’s mental health and that is why there is an annual increase of mental health support animals as well as pets being brought into retirement homes and workplaces as well as schools and some establishments. Seeing a fluffy dog or a small kitten will make even the grumpiest of people exclaim “aw” and smile unknowingly!

Axelle and her dog Hidylle.

Hidylle is a spaniel who not only brings her family joy but also all the humans she sees while on her daily walks. “I feel like she’s always protecting us even though it might sound ridiculous, because she isn’t a very big dog! But when I’m with her I’m not afraid of anything, which is a miracle because I suffer from anxiety every time I step outside”. Hidylle had also helped Axelle and her younger sister deal with their parents’ divorce which caused great grief to both girls “it’s like she knew and was like ‘don’t worry human I’m going to kill your depression with my love for you when you feed me!’”

Emmy and Axelle.

Emmy was Axelle’s first pet who is very special to her because she was a rescue kitten after her sister and mom died. “Emmy has some serious trust issues which is completely understandable considering what she went through. When I heard what happened to her family, I really felt for her and I knew she needed me. She was never mean or nasty she was just timid and jumpy and quite antisocial”. Axelle’s’ relationship with Emmy changed when one day Axelle found Emmy very badly injured and rushed her to the vet. Ever since her life was saved, Emmy has become Axelle’s’ most loyal friend and cuddle buddy! “She always knows when I feel sad or lonely, she’s like a superhero cat! She’s my best friend and its weird but I feel like she understands and listens to me when I’m upset”.

Emma and her two beautiful pooches!

Emma is a strong believer that dogs are a person’s best friend and protector. “Dogs are simple and friendly creatures and they help keep my grounded. I suffer from both depression and anxiety disorders and find great comfort in the presence of my two dogs. In my opinion the bigger the dog the better the cuddles!” Dogs are very sensitive to human emotions and do their best to try and be there as support. Many people who suffer with anxiety and depression find comfort in the warm embrace of a fluffy pouch. “Being the owner of my dogs helped me feel like we have a very special bond and I feel like they can read my emotions. If I’m feeling low, they cuddle and comfort me. I find it hard to share some of my emotions with my friends and family or even my therapists but with my dogs I can just be myself. I’d be lost without them!”

Therapy dogs have been used since the 1960s with great breakthrough findings of animal abilities to influence the mood and wellbeing of their owners. So, don’t feel crazy for loving your dog more than people!

Ricco Valentine and I.

Ricco is a mental health support hedgehog, which might sound weird to some since hedgehogs don’t seem very cuddly. Ricco is an African Pygmy hedgehog, a special breed of hedgehog which can be domesticated and are very popular pets among people living in smaller apartments and Asian countries. African Pygmies live anywhere between five and seven years and are fantastic pets. I suffer from severe ADHD, depression and anxiety disorders. Before I adopted Ricco. Panic attacks were my everyday normal and the excruciating loneliness was my best friend. When Ricco came into my life I was at an all-time low, but he like other animals mentioned in this article, could feel that I was in pain. We began our bonding experience almost instantly and within just a couple of days of being together we fell in love; he gave me a reason to live and strive to do better. Hedgehogs may not seem cuddly, but their tummy is extremely soft, and their spikes feel more like little massagers. Of course, when the hedgehog is groggy it will huff and puff but that goes away very quickly.

The purpose of this feature was to share how animals bring joy to the people around them and even if they do not talk back to us or really understand what is going on with us, they still care and want to make us feel better. Mental health support animals are on the rise in Ireland and are even being introduced in schools and Universities to help students under high pressure and stress to calm down. Many workplaces are also bringing in animals, even if they’re small, to help the atmosphere in their buildings.

So why not go to your local shelter and adopt a little pooch?