Megan Winstanley, 31, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, has revealed how she lost 8st 3lbs and transformed her appearance without using weight-loss jabs such as Mounjaro or Wegovy.
At her heaviest, Megan weighed 15st 10lbs. She would secretly binge on sugary snacks at night and was unhappy with how she looked. She felt depressed and lacked confidence, often acting as the joker because she felt people might laugh at her because of her weight.
Turning point at brother's wedding
The change began when she dropped two stone ahead of her brother's wedding by overhauling her eating habits – swapping meals like chicken tenders and chips for green beans, rice and protein oats. She then enrolled in an online 12-week calorie challenge, tracking her macros and calories.
Megan, a local authority worker, said: "I didn't have much confidence - I was trying to act as the joker because if people are going to laugh at me because of my weight, I'd rather it was because I was funny."
She added: "It was more if I felt sad, I would emotionally eat. I always knew I was a bigger girl. Friends always used to borrow each other's clothes and I'd always have to buy something new. When I came back from travelling in 2018, I remember looking in the mirror and I just felt sick with seeing how I saw myself."
Embracing bodybuilding
After her brother's wedding, Megan continued her journey and discovered bodybuilding in 2022. She began swimming each morning for 30 minutes and later added resistance training and the cross trainer most days.
She said: "I lost about two stone by the time of the wedding and I wanted to lose more. I was swimming in the morning, and then most days I would go into the gym afterwards. It was resistance training and using the cross trainer."
In 2023, she had a bulging disk in her back. Prior to that, she had done a photoshoot in 2022, which inspired her to consider bodybuilding. She now weighs 7st 6lbs and trains at the gym most days.
Competing on stage
Megan has since hired a coach and competes nationwide. She entered the PCA first timers and later secured second place in her latest bodybuilding contest.
She said: "In my head I wanted to enter my 30s as them being my best years. Once I stood on stage I got the bug and I wanted to be better and better. I entered the PCA first timers. I didn't have a coach and when I stepped on stage I felt rubbish but it set a fire within me. I have a coach for it now and I'm in the best shape of my life at 47.5kg."
Megan credits her weight loss to resistance training and a strict dieting regime. Her diet now includes protein oats for breakfast, chicken with green beans and rice or potatoes for lunch and dinner, and Greek yoghurt as a snack – a contrast to her previous carb-heavy meals and secret night-time sweets.
