A size 22 woman who has shed more than two stone has revealed how she has learned to love her curves.
Ioana Chira, 26, from London, saw her weight balloon to 18st 2lbs due to her junk food diet, giving her swollen legs and back pain.
After realising she had been living in denial about her weight gain, she went on an ‘extreme diet’ in a bid to slim down.
However, the HR analyst says she has actually put a lot of the weight she had earlier lost back on – and is now a size 14, weighing 16st.
Despite the weight gain, Ioana says she realised that being slim didn’t make her happy, and says she is much more confident now.
Ioana Chira, 26, from London, says she has learned to embrace her curves after shedding more than two stone
The HR analyst (pictured left in 2012 before her weight loss and right in 2015 when she was at her slimmest) decided to alter her diet after seeing her weight balloon to 18st 2lbs. However, she said that being slim did not make her happy, and she has now put some of the weight she’d initially lost back on
Ioana, who regularly shares pictures of her transformation on her Instagram page, explains how her weight spiralled out of control when she couldn’t realise her dream of joining the police force at the age of 18.
This caused her to lose confidence and turn to food, consuming between 3,500 to 4,000 calories a day.
Ioana, who is originally from Romania, quickly reached her peak weight of 18st 2Ibs and a UK dress size of 22, meaning she began to feel so insecure in her appearance that she couldn’t even look in the mirror.
In 2014, she suddenly had a revelation that she had been living in denial, deciding that she needed to drastically change her diet – now consuming between 2,000 and 2,500 calories a day.
Ioana, who is originally from Romania, now trains five times a week, attending Zumba classes and incorporating a high protein diet
She explains how she had previously been ‘living in denial’ about her weight gain, before having a ‘revelation’ in 2014
‘The part that used to make me really insecure was going shopping considering that in Romania extra-large is similar to a medium here,’ she said.
‘My legs have always been bigger than the average person’s and I used to hate them so much, no trousers would ever fit me.
‘Back in those days, I used to only wear black trousers; most of them custom made or bought from the fashion shops for old women.’
Describing what caused her weight to balloon, she explained: ‘When I was 18, one of my dreams was to join the Police Academy. I’ve trained for about a year and I felt like I could do it.
Ioana (pictured before her weight loss) explains how her weight spiralled out of control when she couldn’t realise her dream of joining the police force at the age of 18
However, she now consumes between 2,000 and 2,500 calories a day and exercises regularly
‘I failed and I felt like a loser because I put all my hopes in my dream. From that point, I didn’t really care what I was eating and I’ve started putting back the weight quickly.’
She admits she was living in denial about her weight gain at first, with her boyfriend at the time always telling her how beautiful she was.
But during a summer where she was suffering from swollen legs and back pain, she decided she needed to make a change.
‘I kept on getting bigger but I couldn’t muster up the motivation to actually do something about it. I preferred to live in denial,’ Ioana explained.
Ioana, who is originally from Romania, suffered from swollen legs and back pain when she was overweight
She says she now feels stronger than before, with the previous pain she suffered subsiding
‘On March 2014, I made the decision to change my life and I’ve promised myself that this time I won’t give up on me.
‘Summer is really hot in Romania and my legs would get swollen. I’ve always had an office job and I started to have back pain. My decision was more like a revelation; I couldn’t believe I let myself live in denial for so long.
‘I could finally see outside my little box and I’ve spent some time with myself and analysed what made me get to that point.’
Having previously done no exercise whatsoever, she now trains five times a week, attending Zumba classes and incorporating a high protein diet.
Ioana says that when she was a size 22 she lost confidence and couldn’t even look in the mirror
Following her weight loss, she says not everyone could believe how much her body had changed at first
She has cut half of her calories from before and now feels stronger, with the previous pain she suffered subsiding.
‘Investing in myself is the best decision of my life. My legs are not getting swollen anymore, I don’t have back pain and I’m extremely flexible and full of energy,’ she said.
‘Besides the physical change, I am extremely proud of the mental change. I’ve proved to myself that I can do it. I’ve proved that all you need is willpower, ambition and consistency.
‘I feel extremely confident now; I love my body and I know that I can achieve my goals and dreams if I work for it.’
Ioana promotes body positivity through her Instagram page and says she would like to see more plus-size women in the media
Explaining how her body has altered over the year, she added: ‘I had a very strict diet in the first year of my journey and I got to a point where I was really obsessed and wouldn’t want to eat fearing that I would put the weight back on.
‘I’ve put back quite a lot of the weight on, however, this time the game is different. I’ve managed to shape my body exactly the way I wanted and put the weight in the right places.
‘I am never insisting on numbers because my journey is a bit different. The difference between then and now is not massive in terms of pounds, however my body looks totally different.’
Ioana says that not everyone could believe how much her body had changed at first.
She says she wants to help motivate other women to embrace their curves, explaining that she comes from a Eastern European country where everyone over 9st is considered ‘fat’
‘I remember when I posted my first transformation pictures, so many people said that it has been photoshopped or that I had a tummy tuck or liposuction for sure,’ she said.
‘Because of all the magic weight loss products that are on the market and waist trainers, people find it hard to believe that you can actually get a shape like mine through a natural process.’
The fluctuation of her body throughout the process was the toughest part for Ioana to face going through it and not giving up.
‘The hardest thing in this journey is to accept your body and the changes that happen. Getting a functional partnership between your brain and body is a continuous fight,’ she said.
‘When I was at my lowest weight, everyone would say how good I looked, however, I didn’t feel that way. I would feel down most of the time and wouldn’t even want to look in the mirror and see all the cellulite, stretch marks and saggy boobs.
Ioana (pictured as she is today) says that happiness is something beyond what size you are, explaining that she didn’t feel good when she was at her lowest weight
‘I always believed that being slim would make me happy, however, when I got there it was not the case. I’ve realised that happiness is something beyond size and as long as I keep my body healthy and strong – I’m a winner.’
Ioana explains that because she comes from an Eastern European country, where everyone over 9st is considered ‘fat’, this has affected her confidence, motivating her to encourage women to embrace their curves.
‘There are millions of girls like me and I want to show them they can build their own life and happiness,’ she said.
‘They’ve been bullied and shamed for so long that they’ve accepted the status of ‘fat and ugly’, actually believing there is something wrong with them.
‘Plus size women should be promoted more. A big help would be to stop re-touching magazine pictures and show the reality instead of an airbrushed image.
She says that she is ‘extremely proud’ of the mental transformation she’s had, as well as the physical change
‘My profile is all about being real. A lot of the curvy girls have self-esteem issues, especially when it comes to dressing up or going to the gym.
‘I am showing my daily outfits to make my girls realise that it’s all about confidence; that’s what actually makes the clothes look good on you.’
Sharing her advice for other people who want to lose weight, Ioana added: ‘Stop planning and start doing. It’s not rocket science and you don’t need to plan it two years in advance.
‘Make small daily changes that you can keep going long term because it’s all about consistency.
‘On social media, follow people who inspire you and give you the motivation you need. Surround yourself with positive people because you will need a lot of positive vibes throughout your journey.’