Weight loss: Secret behind Gemma Collin’s 3st transformation – from boxing to controversial jabs
GEMMA Collins stunned fans this week with a selfie of her slimmed-down face – after dropping an incredible three stone.
And many people, desperate to follow in her footsteps, were left asking exactly how the TV star has managed to trim down.
Here, we talk through the main ways the GC has managed to shed the pounds in just a few months – and how you can follow these too.
The former Towie star has used a combination of weight loss techniques – including the controversial skinny jab and ditching her vegan diet.
1. Ditching her vegan diet
The Sun Online revealed earlier this week that Gemma has overhauled her eating regime and ditched her vegan diet.
In particular, she has been eating more proteins, particularly steaks, in a bid to boost her metabolism.
A source said: “She’s back in the gym burning 1,500 a session with tough workouts, and she’s ditched her vegan diet for steaks.
“She said going vegan was good for her, but it’s not for everyone and her body ‘needs meat’.”
Advice for dieters: Weight loss can be boosted by eating a high-protein diet and is one the main ways to feel fuller for longer and build muscle mass.
The NHS lists a number of foods that will help you increase your protein intake to make sure you feel your best.
These include whole eggs, almonds, chicken breast, oats, cottage cheese, milk and broccoli.
A high protein breakfast help to regulate blood glucose levels throughout the morning and keep you full for several hours
Susie Burrell
In particular, leading dietitian Susie Burrell recommends having a protein-filled breakfast to help you feel fuller for longer and, as a result, help to boost your metabolic rate.
She says: “Not only will a high protein breakfast help to regulate blood glucose levels throughout the morning and keep you full for several hours, but protein rich foods actually require more calories to digest than carbohydrate rich foods thus helping to boost metabolic rate.”
2. Boxing classes and treadmill sessions
Gemma has been going all out to blitz her body fat – and has set herself the daily target to burn 1,500 calories at day through exercise.
In particular, she has joined her local boxing club in Essex and insists on having a treadmill with her whenever she is on set filming for her reality show Diva Forever.
Advice for dieters: Running and boxing are two forms of fitness that burn a lot of calories.
Olympian Jo Pavey recommends getting friends and family involved in your workouts to make them more fun.
She advises: “Try and make it fun for yourself – try and exercise with a buddy to keep you motivated.
“Enjoy being part of the community and you’ll meet new people who have the same passions.”
Jo also recommends setting a long-term goal that is “flexible” but can really motivate you and give you a reason to get out the door.
3. No sugar or carbs after 6pm
Gemma’s fitness instructor claimed that the blonde beauty is on a “no sugar and no carbs after 6pm diet” to ditch the pounds.
Vicky Young told new! Magazine at the time: “For breakfast she’ll have poached eggs, avocado, tomatoes on sourdough, then lunch will be a big salad with kale, peppers and avocado, with either chicken or tuna steak.
“For dinner, I make her vegetarian curries, or sometimes it’s chicken and halloumi kebabs with peppers on a skewer with tzatziki salad.”
Advice for dieters: Fitness guru Joe Wicks says it’s actually a myth that eating carbs after 6pm will make you fat – so don’t get too stressed out about this one – especially if you’re a gym bunny.
He said on his blog: “The fact is carbs don’t make you gain fat, and the silly myth that eating carbs after 6pm will make you fat is also nonsense, so if you train at 8pm and don’t eat until 10pm, that’s no problem at all.
“The body needs to be refuelled after you train, regardless of the time, so use this meal to enjoy the carbs you love – you’ve earned them.
“Carbohydrates really have an important use, and should not be seen as the bad guys, as lots of diets out there do, calling them ‘sins’ or whatever.”
4. Focusing on body confidence
One thing Gemma has never been lacking in is confidence.
She says embracing her body and feeling confident when she looks in the mirror has helped her with her weight loss.
She told The Sun Online: “Honey, I’ve always been beautiful no matter what size I have been. When I look in the mirror naked, I think I look like a sexy mama.
“I’ve always been confident in the bedroom. I love every inch in my body.
“In fact, I have so much self esteem, if I could bottle it and sell it, I would be a billionaire overnight.”
Advice for dieters: Many dieters expect to feel better about their bodies after weight loss.
But if you boost your confidence while you’re losing weight, you’ll be more likely to stay motivated, stick to your program and reach your goals.
Try celebrating your accomplishments – no matter how small – even if that’s taking the stairs instead of the escalator or eating a healthy breakfast three days in a row.
Also lean on friends and family to support you – and try and connect with others also trying to achieve similar weight loss goals.
As Zoe Griffiths, from WW, says: “It’s about having a healthy pattern of eating that includes foods you love, being active in ways that feel good, and thinking in ways that help you feel confident and reach your goals.
“We know that people who have more positive relationships with their bodies tend to be happier – and that happier people make healthier choices in the long term.”
5. Controversial skinny jab
Gemma has been having weekly appetite-suppressing injections to help her shed the pounds.
The jabs, from a company called Skinny Jab, cost a staggering £250 a pop and claim to help the body to turn stored fat into energy by regulating blood glucose levels.
Speaking about the injections, Gemma told The Sun Online: “Last time I had them, I didn’t eat for four days. Literally nothing. I just didn’t have an appetite.
“You just don’t think about food or being hungry. It’s fantastic and really works for me.”
Despite this, the jabs have faced a backlash – particularly given the dangers that come with fasting diets.
Experts told The Sun Online the jabs are dangerous and could trigger deadly conditions, from hypoglycaemic episodes to thyroid cancer and severe pancreatitis.
Advice for dieters: Dr Sarah Jarvis, clinical director at patient.info, recommends they are only suitable for people classified as being obese, and should always be prescribed by a doctor.
More on diet and weight loss
She said: “It should only be used by people who are obese, or who are significantly overweight and also have other medical conditions.
“This injection should only be used under close medical supervision, in addition to effective diet and lifestyle changes.
“Like any other licensed drug, it has side effects – among the most common are feeling sick or being sick and diarrhoea.”