Body transformation stories to inspire you: How Julian Lawrence got that surfboard stomach

JULIAN Lawrence grew up skinny. She loved her body, especially the flat tummy that she effortlessly maintained despite what she ate. But this started to change when she started attending university and participated in the annual student work and travel programme.

“With the weight fluctuation came an increase in my tummy size. That was my biggest concern, but of course I was never committed enough to lose the tummy for good. In 2015 and 2016 after the summer programme I remember gaining weight to the point where I was running out of breath when I walked short distances,” she told All Woman.

Lawrence confessed that she felt uncomfortable in her own skin. She would spontaneously work out every now and again at home, but was not committed enough to keep it going for more than two weeks at a time.

“I thought about going to the gym but I didn’t like the crowd really and I couldn’t afford a personal trainer. In my mind it was pointless to go to the gym without the proper guidance especially when starting out. I resorted to working out at home as I really felt more comfortable in my own space and I had come to terms with not being able to afford the membership fee or the trainer fee,” she said.

In 2017, after finishing the work and travel programme, she lost a little of the weight using her own fitness routine, but she could not keep it up when she started working full time in a corporate job with demanding work hours.

“The funny part about it is that at the time I was a vegetarian. I had switched for the second time around June of 2017 because the meat was making me nauseous and I had come to terms with the fact that the chicken had too much hormones which was causing an increase in the pain I felt on a monthly basis,” she remembered. “It wasn’t easy for me to say goodbye to the chicken though. I remember going back to KFC several times even after I said I stopped, just to get a Zinger, only to bring it all back up because of how nauseated I was.”

But even though she was a new vegetarian, Lawrence’s late hours at work made it hard to resist the junk food, and the tummy fat was getting worse.

“I was so uncomfortable in my skin; my tummy was protruding, my cheeks were extra chubby, and my legs were rubbing and burning me like crazy and my love handles just made it all worse. My self-confidence was being affected, and just like clockwork I would pull in my tummy every time a photo was being taken and I hated the idea,” she confessed.

But when Lawrence started working at a new company that summer, she met Chantal and Nailia, who were kind, supportive, and struggling with similar issues.

“Together we formed a group that was centred on spiritual and physical growth. We started working out, sharing pictures, videos and motivational posts to support each other. As a group and individually, we stopped several times and skipped several days.”

But this time around she was committed. She had written down all the reasons she needed to transform her body, and decided that she would not give up on herself again. On July 2, 2018 she entered a contract with herself.

“I searched for a YouTube video and I did my workout. I planned my meals for the week and I was so excited to start something new. It was really hard for me to motivate myself to wake up five times per week and work out at home but I did it and having the group and an accountability partner also helped to keep me accountable,” she recounted.

Still plagued by the recurrent abdominal cramps despite her new diet and fitness regimen, and slow but steady progress, Lawrence visited the doctor, who diagnosed her with ovarian cysts and endometrial polyps, which were causing her excessive pain.

“This was September, and I decided officially that I was going to transition from a vegetarian lifestyle to eating completely plant-based foods,” she shared. “This transition was so tempting at times and the same fish that I wasn’t eating all that much while I was a vegetarian, I started having lots of cravings for it. I stared having lots of dairy cravings as well. I had to come up with creative ways of making my own granola bars and specific smoothie recipes that I loved.”

Her pain led her to a surprising discovery.

“One week I was ill and I couldn’t work out due to really painful cramps. I only stretched in the mornings and maintained my diet. With that alone I lost five pounds and two inches around my tummy in a week. I was extra motivated and proved to myself that diet is really 80 per cent and the exercise the remaining 20 per cent.”

Now with a surfboard tummy and a completely green diet, Lawrence has never felt better.

“I have so much more energy and so much life within me. My cramps are not as painful, and my body is super energetic. I feel confident and great both inside and outside. I wasn’t the only one seeing these changes,” she beamed.

Her Instagram followers (@naturallyjulzz) were amazed with her journey, and helped to motivate her, and shared their own personal journeys with her.

Lawrence is five feet four inches tall. When she started her journey, her tummy was 34.2 inches and she was weighing around 145lbs. Her waistline is now 27 inches and she weighs 124lbs. What’s her secret?

“My diet consists of lots of fruits, fruit smoothies, vegetables (both raw and steamed), beans, grains and plant proteins. I usually start my day with warm detox water like lime and water, then I will have a green smoothie and some oats for breakfast. For lunch I may have boiled sweet potatoes and steamed veggies with another green smoothie. For dinner, most times I drink tea, have a smoothie and a fruit bowl. I consume a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day and my body feels so great,” she shared.

“My advice to anyone who would like to start their journey is to find your compelling reasons why you want to change your lifestyle. Once you find them, write them down so it becomes real and place this somewhere u can easily refer to because when you feel like giving up — and you will — your reasons will keep you grounded.”

Have you managed to transform your body through weight gain or weight loss? Want to share your story with us? E-mail clarkep@jamaicaobserver.com