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This woman silenced bullies and an ex-boyfriend by turning her physique into every bodybuilder's dream.
Sophie Armitage (25), from Huddersfield, UK, grew up with a passion for sports and had an active lifestyle which kept her in tip-top shape.
Sadly, in spite of this, the self-employed beauty therapist was severely bullied by her peers, which badly dented her self-confidence.
The constant abuse coupled with an ex-boyfriend who called her “fat” drove the social media influencer to obsess over her appearance and diet. She consumed only 1 000 calories a day and shrunk down to an unhealthy 50 kg.
“Growing older, I was severely bullied by girls and was in a very negative relationship. I found the gym was my only place they couldn’t get to me,” Sophie says.
“I had a high metabolism and didn’t eat thinking I was fat and that people would like me more if I was skinny.”
When she was at her lowest point she met a guy at the gym who introduced her to new exercise routines and diets and she felt good about herself again.
“Eventually I got myself into another relationship where he was very into the gym. He taught me quite a lot and we were happy.
“It quickly turned sour and again I found the gym was my saviour, my sanctuary to get away. I got myself a personal trainer and I began to enjoy the small changes I saw.”
The relationship didn’t last long, but that didn’t stop Sophie from continuing to improve her lifestyle.
The blonde beauty upped her calorie intake by mostly consuming carbohydrates and proteins and began to eat five meals a day.
“I put my all into the gym and decided it was time to make myself happy as no one else was going to do that for me.”
If a regular exercise routine wasn’t enough, Sophie added weightlifting to her regime five years ago – even though it challenged her quite a bit.
“It was hard at first, pushing myself through the pain and not feeling like I was doing things wrong. But those are the problems that make you mentally stronger,” she says.
Sophie now weighs 57 kg and says she couldn’t be happier with her impressive transformation. She revealed she follows different women’s fitness journeys on social media to stay motivated to exercise and eat healthily.
“I found girls on Instagram that inspired me. I followed their journey, researched, found out what foods and exercises worked for me, and just really enjoyed the changes my body made.”
Sophie, who is a lot more confident these days, now simply shakes off negative comments and bravely speaks out against internet trolls.
“I enjoy what I see when I look in the mirror, even when I’m gaining body fat, because I know I could easily remove it if I wanted to.
“I feel like a female warrior who’s been through so much. I talk to young girls about how to make those positive changes and ignore the haters.”
Sophie advises women who want to work on their self-confidence to engage a personal trainer, online or at the gym.
“Find people on Instagram and YouTube who inspire you and educate you. If you don’t know any, google it.”
Source: Magazine Features
