A woman who had never worn a bikini before has shed an incredible five stone in just 10 months after realising she was ‘too big’ to complete a bucket list she had written as a teenager.
Ash Byrne-Hansen, from Reading, Berkshire, had jotted down all the life adventures she wanted to experience and top of the list was sky diving and bungee jumping as well as other teenage dreams such a ‘falling in love’ and ‘running naked in the rain.’
The 24-year-old had planned to go on the holiday of a lifetime to Australia where she would do most of the daredevil activities on her list.
But the recruitment consultant discovered it would be too dangerous for her to complete many of the activities because her Body Mass Index (BMI) was too high after her weight spiralled to 14 stone 7 lbs.
Transformation: Ash Byrne-Hansen shed five stone in just 10 months, going from 14 stone 7 lbs (left) to 9 stone 7 lbs (right) after realising she was ‘too big’ to tick off her bucket list
Ash said it was like ‘a punch to the gut’ to discover that she was going to be too big to do some of the activities on her teenage bucket list (pictured) like skydiving
She took drastic action to make sure she was fit and healthy enough to do everything on her bucket list.
Ten months later, she has slimmed down to 9 stone 7 lbs – shrinking from dress size 18 to a healthy 10 and losing 12 inches from her waist from 41 inches to 29.
Ash said: ‘Now I have reached my ideal weight and I could not be happier. It sounds trivial but I am going to wear a bikini in Spain for the first time and I am really looking forward to ticking all the activities on my bucket list starting with the sky diving and the bungee jump. I’m happy!’
Ash had let her weight slowly creep up over the years by not exercising regularly and eating poorly and at the wrong times.
Her weight peaked in 2016, as she was planning her Australia holiday, and around the same time she found the bucket list she had written as a teenager.
Ash said: ‘I did some research and it was almost a punch to the gut to discover that I was going to be too big to do some of the activities like skydiving.
Before her weight loss, Ash had let her weight slowly creep up over the years by not exercising regularly and eating poorly and at the wrong times
To get in shape, Ash started getting up a 5am and having a healthy breakfast of porridge and a banana before walking to and from work – a round trip of almost six miles
Beach body ready: Ash said, ‘I am going to wear a bikini in Spain for the first time and I am really looking forward to ticking all the activities on my bucket list. I’m happy!’
To get in shape, Ash upped the exercise to six days a week and properly embraced a healthier diet – rigidly sticking to three meals and a snack a day
‘Realistically, it was not healthy for a person of my size to do these kind of adrenaline sports. There is always a risk no matter what shape or size you are but this was a risk factor that I knew I could change and feel happier about what I saw in the mirror.
‘That was the wake-up call that I needed and I decided to radically change my life because I am more determined than ever to live it fully!’
Ash started getting up a 5am and having a healthy breakfast of porridge and a banana before walking to and from work – a round trip of almost six miles.
At lunchtimes she would also work out at the company gym – and she ditched fattening snacks like chocolate bars and salted nuts.
The recruitment consultant has slimmed down to 9 stone 7 lbs – shrinking from dress size 18 to a healthy 10 and losing 12 inches from her waist from 41 inches to 29
She knew she needed to give herself a kick-start in the early stages of her weight loss so she started taking Forza Supplements’ Hydratrim, which helped to fill her up before meals.
Weight started to fall off her and she was soon hitting her goal of losing 2 lbs a week.
She upped the exercise to six days a week and properly embraced a healthier diet – rigidly sticking to three meals and a snack a day.
Ash finally hit her ideal weight of 9 stone 7 lbs this summer and is determined not to put it on again.
Ash (pictured this summer) discovered it would be too dangerous for her to complete many of the holiday activities because her BMI was too high after her weight spiralled to 14 stone 7 lbs
She is celebrating with a break in Valencia, Spain, where she will wear a bikini for the first time.
She said: ‘Whilst I have never portrayed it on the outside, it will be amazing not to feel self-conscious and be in a bikini on the beach for the first time. I am also ticking off all the activities on my bucket list.
‘It is a very exciting time for me and I could not have achieved it without help from Forza products.’
Ash now takes Forza Raspberry K2 capsules which take the edge off her appetite if she is planning a meal out with friends.
She said: ‘My new body is down to eating well and exercising regularly. I have got into, and continue to learn, good habits which will hopefully last me a lifetime.