TAKE A look at Australian Idol alumni Casey Donovan’s Instagram page and you’ll notice she looks decidedly different.
The singer has undergone an impressive transformation, having lost 36kg in a year. She credits Facebook weight loss program WLCW (Weight Loss Coaching Works) with helping her shed the kilos.
Donovan’s weight loss journey was kickstarted by her time in the jungle on reality TV show I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here.
The 29-year-old singer lost 17 kilograms while on the show, where celebrity contestants lived off daily basic diet rations of 25 grams of oats, 45 grams of beans, 50 grams of rice, 200 grams of vegetables and two tablespoons of oil.
Despite stating that she was keen to continue losing weight once the I’m a Celeb cameras stopped rolling, when Donovan returned to every day life after her stint in the jungle she put on 7kg in just six weeks — mainly thanks to eating McDonald’s and drinking alcohol.
She then got serious about weight loss and set herself a goal to get her weight under 100kg.
“I could see myself making all the same mistakes and I knew I had to do something,” she told Woman’s Day.
Since making that call she has lost a further 19kg with Ben Physick and his WLCW program, which makes it a whopping 36kg since January 2017.
“Weight-loss coaching has changed my life not only in shape and size but my mindset. It’s not an easy road, (I’m not going to lie) but the pay-off is so rewarding,” she wrote alongside before and after images on Instagram.
In an interview with Yahoo7 Be, Physick explained that Donovan’s weight loss success is down to three main factors.
Walking
To lose the weight, Donovan started to walk 15,000 steps a day (including 5,000 steps before breakfast). Sometimes she walks for 90 minutes at night to reach her steps goal.
Accountability and commitment
Physick says a hard and fast rule for his program is that participants have to commit 100 per cent.
“You have to really want it. It has to be 10/10 level of commitment and if you’re not quite there yet, we tell you to work out what is holding you back and come back when you’re ready,” he says.
“The key is the accountability. That’s why the first part of the equation is admitting you need help and submitting to the program.”
Carbs
While many weight loss programs focus on shakes and juices to replace meals, Physick says Donovan focuses on “real” foods and that a typical day on a plate consists of lots of fruit, vegetables and proteins.
There is also a special formula around carbs.
“We don’t want low or high [carbs], we want just right, and we’re very precise about the amount of carbohydrate your body needs to live on,” explains Physick.
“And then when you’re at that certain spot your body will use fat as fuel and when you maintain the right amount of movement the weight will fall off.”
Donovan says her weight loss journey is not over and kilos are still coming off.
“I’m certainly not finished yet. I realise it’s time to increase my exercise.
“I can’t remember the last time I bought a size 18 pair of jeans,” Donovan told Women’s Day.
Despite giving up on dating websites, Donovan says she feels more confident thanks to her slimmer physique, and is ready to find romance.
“I’d love to meet someone,” she said.
“I’m almost 30. I’ve never been in a relationship except a fake one for six years [when a female friend conned her into believing she was her boyfriend during an online relationship], so yes, I’d love to meet someone when the time’s right.”
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